Spiced Eggnog Sugar Cookies

There is a magical time of year when our grocery refrigerators are blessed with eggnog once again. The stores start playing holiday music and you know it's that time of year. Finding my favorite brand of eggnog kicks off my holiday cookie baking spree, and eggnog sugar cookies are the first cookie I make.

Soft and full of eggnog flavor, these cookies melt in your mouth. Wrapped in some cute packaging, eggnog cookies make the perfect holiday host gift or treat for a friend.

Every year I make cookie packages for friends and family, and these cookies freeze and ship well.

How to Make Eggnog Cookies

The eggnog sugar cookies come together rather simply, with eggnog being the only ingredient you don’t probably already have in your pantry and fridge. There is also no rest time to chill the dough, so you can have hot, spiced cookies within the hour.

It's a little early in the season as I write this, so for this round of cookie baking, I had to try my hand at homemade eggnog. I chose a cooked recipe.

While it worked as an ingredient replacement, the cookies didn't have as much of an eggnog flavor as I would have liked, as the eggnog itself came out kind of bland. While it came together faster and easier than I had imagined, I don't find making cooked nog worth the hassle. I think I'll just stick with my favorite brand for those eggnog cravings and baking needs.

Once you have your eggnog picked out, gather your ingredients.

You want your butter to be softened ahead of time or, if necessary, in the microwave. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk together until combined. Then cream sugar and butter together. Next add the egg yolks, vanilla, and eggnog to the sugar and butter and mix together. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients just until combined.

The dough will be soft. I use a kitchen spoon and eyeballed a rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie on a Silpat mat. Parchment paper would also work.

Leave two inches between each dough mound, as these cookies do spread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden. Transfer to a wire rack when they are cool enough to touch.

Tea Pairings

Once your eggnog sugar cookies have cooled to that perfect fresh-out-of-the-oven warmth, you'll need some tea to pair with it.

You could enjoy your cookies with some cookie-inspired tea like Chocolate Mint ‘Like the Cookie’ oolong tea, Vanilla Sugar Cookie, Buttery Shortbread dessert tea, or Caramel Snickerdoodle dessert tea. The cinnamon in Vanilla Sugar Cookie would especially pair well with the spices in our eggnog cookies.