Description
These Vanilla Brown Sugar Eggnog Cookies are festive, soft, and flavorful holiday treats featuring a rich blend of brown sugar, bourbon, and traditional spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Decorated with spiced vanilla icing and sprinkled with decorative toppings, these cookies bring the warmth of eggnog to your cookie platter.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2-4 tablespoons additional if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Spiced Vanilla Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- 1/2 cup eggnog (or milk/water)
- Edible gold dust, vanilla sugar, and/or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the room temperature butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg and mix until fully combined. Beat in the bourbon (if using) and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, baking soda, and kosher salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. If the dough feels too sticky or wet to roll, add 2-4 tablespoons of additional flour until it reaches a pliable consistency.
- Prepare for baking: Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into two equal portions for easier handling.
- Roll and cut the cookies: Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and roll out one half of the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use holiday-themed cookie cutters such as Christmas trees, snowflakes, and The Grinch shapes to cut out cookies. Transfer the shapes carefully to the prepared baking sheet using a floured spatula to prevent sticking. Cover the baking sheet with the cut cookies and freeze for 15 minutes to firm them up before baking. Repeat rolling and cutting with the remaining dough scraps.
- Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes or until they just begin to turn lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Prepare the spiced vanilla icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and grated nutmeg (or cinnamon). Add eggnog (or milk/water) one tablespoon at a time, stirring until the icing is smooth and drizzly but not too thin. Adjust with more liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Decorate the cookies: Use the vanilla icing to decorate each cooled cookie as desired. For snowflakes, pipe lines and dots to emphasize the shape, optionally sprinkle with vanilla sugar. For Christmas trees, fill in the shapes fully with icing and sprinkle vanilla sugar on top. For the Grinch, fill eyes with edible gold dust and use colored icing (green for the face and black for eyebrows and mouth) to complete the look. Let icing set for about an hour before serving.
Notes
- To pipe frosting onto cookies, fill a small sandwich-size Ziploc bag or piping bag with icing and snip a small corner for controlled decorating.
- To make vanilla sugar, mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or seeds from half a vanilla bean.
- Recommended cookie cutters include shapes for Christmas Tree, Snowflake, and The Grinch for the perfect festive look.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
