This cookie recipe, which I first published many years ago, was a result of our yuletide love affair with eggnog. The dough alone is redolent with that creamy-sweet, slightly spicy eggnoggy fragrance (yes, I made up the word eggnoggy).
As they bake, nutmeg and vanilla permeate the air with the quintessential aroma of your classic Bing Crosby-Danny Kaye Christmas.
 |
Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
To start the video, click the white arrow in the
window above. If you do not see a window,
view the video by clicking here.
view the video by clicking here.
To download this recipe in a
free PDF you can print, save,
or share, click here.
 |
| Click for the free PDF of this recipe. |
Cleo Coyle's
Eggnog Shortbread Cookies
You can make this recipe two ways...
1) For an easy refrigerator cookie, simply roll it into a thick, soft log, chill, slice, and bake.
2) For a more elaborate holiday cookie tray, make a rolled and shaped cookie by chilling the dough in thick discs, then rolling it out, and using your favorite cookie cutters.
2) For a more elaborate holiday cookie tray, make a rolled and shaped cookie by chilling the dough in thick discs, then rolling it out, and using your favorite cookie cutters.
I’ve kept the composition of this cookie dough very buttery so that a liberal addition of flour when rolling will not toughen the cookie on you. You can serve these cookies plain or with the polished finish of my Eggnog Glaze (recipe below), which adds yet another layer of eggnog flavor. Finally, a dusting of my Nutmeg Sugar mimics the barista’s finish to an eggnog latte with a sprinkling of that classic holiday spice.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup eggnog
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flour, sifted (plus extra for rolling)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
Eggnog Glaze (optional, see recipe below)
Nutmeg Sugar (optional, see recipe below)
One bowl mixing method: First cream butter and sugar, and then measure in eggnog, egg, vanilla, sifted flour, nutmeg, and baking powder. Mix until a smooth dough forms, but do not over mix or you will develop the gluten in your flour, which will make your cookies tough instead of tender.
You have two options for this step
OPTION (A) – Easy Refrigerator Cookies: For this version, simply roll the dough into a thick log. Chill it several hours, until somewhat firm (it will still be a bit soft because of the high butter content), then roll the log in granulated sugar or my Nutmeg Sugar (scroll down for the recipe) and slice up.
Arrange cookie dough slices on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper (or a silicon sheet) to prevent sticking. Use the bottom of a glass or a spatula to gently flatten the cookie dough rounds into circles of about 2-inches in diameter. To prevent sticking as you flatten the cookies, place a small square of parchment paper on top of each cookie as you go.
If you don’t plan on glazing these cookie slices, dampen the bottom of your glass and repeatedly dip it in my Nutmeg Sugar (recipe below) before lightly flattening each cookie.
If you don’t plan on glazing these cookie slices, dampen the bottom of your glass and repeatedly dip it in my Nutmeg Sugar (recipe below) before lightly flattening each cookie.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350° F. and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool. For a polished finish, brush tops of cooled cookies with Eggnog Glaze and sprinkle on Nutmeg Sugar (both recipes are below).
For this second method, form your freshly mixed dough into two thick discs (see picture below). Wrap these separately in wax paper or plastic wrap, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for an hour or more to develop the flavors in the dough and make it less sticky and easier to work with.
OPTION (B) – Rolled and Shaped (cookie-cutter cookies)
Roll the dough: For shaped cookies, roll out the dough on a liberally floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch. I intentionally made this dough buttery and sticky so it will be able to take the extra flour that you use in the rolling process. If you skipped chilling the dough, however, you may have real trouble rolling it, even with flour, so chill it, baby! I would also advise you not to roll any thinner than 1/8 of an inch, or your cookies may not hold their shapes. If you prefer a thin cookie, then make the refrigerator log cookies.
Cut the dough: Using a cookie cutter, cut the rolled out dough into any shape you like. Because these are "cup of holiday eggnog" inspired cookies, I like to use a cookie cutter in the shape of a cup. FYI: I purchased mine at this fun site: CookieCutter.com where they have a wonderful variety of cookie cutter shapes to choose from.
Bake: Preheat oven to 350° F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool. For a polished finish, brush tops of cooled cookies with Eggnog Glaze and sprinkle on Nutmeg Sugar (both recipes are below).
CLEO'S EGGNOG GLAZE
In a saucepan warm 1/4 cup eggnog and 2 tablespoon butter over low heat. Do not allow this mixture to boil. If it does, you may get a scorched taste in your glaze.
When butter is just melted, stir in 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar. I like to add in 1/2 teaspoon rum extract. If you really like rum, you may want to increase this amount; if you dislike rum, simply leave out the extract. Keep stirring until the sugar is melted and a smooth glaze forms. If you did not sift the sugar, you may need to whisk the glaze to smooth out any clumping.
Once glaze is smooth and well blended, use a pastry brush to glaze the cookies. Remember that the glaze is hot, so take care. Sprinkle immediately with Nutmeg Sugar before the glaze has a chance to harden.
CLEO'S NUTMEG SUGAR
Whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle lightly over freshly glazed eggnog cookies and eat with holiday joy!
