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These Eggnog Cookies are soft, sweet, lightly spiced, and taste like a cup of holiday eggnog—just in cookie form. They’re buttery and tender with warm nutmeg flavor and a hint of real eggnog baked right into the dough. If you want a cookie that tastes like Christmas, this is the one.
No fancy steps, no chill time—just scoop, roll, bake, and try not to eat five of them straight off the pan. They’re basically holiday magic disguised as cookies.
These Eggnog Cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie platters, holiday movie nights, classroom treats, or that moment when you’re craving something festive but don’t want to deal with complicated decorating or frostings. They’re simple, classic, and always a hit.
Why These Eggnog Cookies Are Awesome
- Eggnog is built right in to the cookie, adding moisture and classic holiday flavor.
- It tastes like eggnog with a sweet and creamy nutmeg flavor.
- It’s a super easy recipe with no chilling and no icing required.
- This cookie has a soft and tender texture with slightly crisp edges and a melt-in-your-mouth center.
- It’s a holiday crowd-pleaser that is perfect for parties, gifting, or cookie swaps.
Ingredients
- Sugar + butter: The base for a soft, chewy cookie.
- Egg yolks: Adds richness and that eggnog vibe.
- Eggnog: Flavors the dough and keeps it tender.
- Nutmeg: The star spice of eggnog desserts.
- Flour, salt, baking powder: Classic cookie structure.
- Rolling sugar: Gives the cookies a sparkly, sugary finish.
How to Make Eggnog Cookies
Making these cookies is incredibly easy—perfect for holiday baking nights or younger bakers who want something fun and simple.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: Beat the sugar, butter, egg yolks, eggnog, and vanilla until creamy.
- Add the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Mix dry into wet until a dough forms.
- Scoop & Roll: Scoop 1½-tablespoon portions of dough and roll in sugar until coated.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 14–15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still a little soft.
- Cool: Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling. (They firm up as they cool!)
Tips for making the Best Eggnog Cookies
- You may want to double the batch because they disappear fast.
- Use real eggnog! Don’t use the homemade-lightened “healthy” kind—real stuff gives the best flavor.
- Don’t overbake. Slightly underdone centers = perfectly soft cookies.
- Use fresh nutmeg if possible. It’ll give these cookies a big boost in flavor.
- Roll the balls of cookie dough generously in sugar. They bake up prettier!
How to Store & Freeze
- To store at room temperature, store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag.
- If you’d like to freeze the dough…roll it into balls (without the sugar), freeze, then thaw slightly before rolling in sugar and baking.
Variations to Try
- Sprinkle the cookies with nutmeg before baking for extra spicy flavor.
- Give the cookies a cinnamon-sugar coating (like a snickerdoodle–eggnog combo).
- Add white chocolate chips to the cookie dough!
- Add an eggnog glaze: Whisk powdered sugar + eggnog + nutmeg and drizzle.
What to Serve With Eggnog Cookies
These cookies pair perfectly with:
- Hot chocolate
- A mug of eggnog
- Holiday coffee drinks
- A Christmas dessert board alongside shortbread cookies and Christmas Monster Cookies.
- Vanilla ice cream or coffee ice cream.
They also make great gifts in cookie tins or bags—nobody turns down an eggnog cookie!!
If you love eggnog, these cookies are a must-bake. They’re soft, sweet, and taste exactly like the holidays. I make these every December because they’re simple, nostalgic, and among the first cookies to disappear from the tray. They’re perfect for holiday parties, gifting, or eating straight off the baking sheet!
Eggnog Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheets (for baking the cookies)
- Parchment Paper (a nonstick option)
- Electric Hand Mixer (for mixing the cookie dough)
- Whisk (to combine the dry ingredients)
- 1½ Tablespoon Cookie Scoop (for scooping out even amounts of cookie dough)
- Cooling Rack (to cool the baked cookies)
Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH:
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup eggnog
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
FOR DIPPING:
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the sugar, butter, egg yolks, eggnog and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Use a 1½-tablespoon scoop to measure out the cookie dough. Roll the dough balls in the rolling sugar to coat. Place the sugared dough balls on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 14 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are set along the edges and just a touch still tender in the center. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and them remove to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store these cookies for up to 3 days in a well-sealed container at room temperature. Freeze in a well-sealed container or freezer zip bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This recipe comes from RecipeBoy.com
