These Eggnog Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are the ultimate easy Christmas cookie recipe that are sure to be the hit of your holiday cookie exchange and holiday dessert boards! They’re made with real eggnog and 2 secret ingredients that boost the eggnog flavor even more. I have been making them for years and I know they’ll be an instant family favorite for you too this time of year.
Every Christmas season I love coming up with new recipes for Christmas cookies that will inspire you to do more baking in your homes and with your friends and families.
And it seems that over the past few years, as much as I’ve had a thing for peppermint cookies, classic Linzer cookies, and soft sugar cookies, I still love eggnog Christmas desserts even more.
That’s why these delicious eggnog cookies have become such a fantastic addition to my holiday baking list.
The Softest Eggnog Cookies
Just like a delicious soft sugar cookie, these Christmas cookies are absolutely bursting with classic Christmas eggnog flavor.
The addition of brown sugar and egg yolks instead of whole eggs are what keep these soft cookies moist, tender, and completely irresistible.
Is There Eggnog in Eggnog Cookies?
Yes, there is eggnog in eggnog cookies! My cookie recipe also contains eggnog extract.
The eggnog extract is in the recipe to give the cookies a super special boost of flavor. You can skip the eggnog extract but you should know the eggnog flavor will be a little muted without it.
I always use store-bought eggnog for my eggnog recipes but you could certainly use homemade eggnog for these delicious Christmas cookies instead of store-bought.
Classic Christmas Flavors
In addition to the eggnog, there are 4 other secret ingredients that make these cookies the ones I bake every year.
Cinnamon and nutmeg are what give eggnog that classic flavor that so many of us love at Christmas.
I also included two flavor extracts to boost the eggnog flavor even more: eggnog extract and rum extract. To me, eggnog is better with booze and the rum extract mimics the addition of alcohol but without the actual alcohol.
Continue reading for more information on both of these extracts!
Eggnog Cookie Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s the basic shopping list for this eggnog cookie recipe. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card below for the full printable list!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Table salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg yolks (room temperature)
- Eggnog – You’ll want to go for full-fat eggnog here, not low fat eggnog.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggnog extract
- Rum or butter rum extract
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Soft Eggnog Cookies
Here are the basic instructions for how to make these Christmas cookies. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card below for the full set of Instructions!
STEP 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.
STEP 2: Cream the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in the egg and the extracts.
STEP 3: Add the flour mixture and eggnog in 5 alternating additions, mixing until just combined.
PRO TIP #1: The dough will be very, very sticky at this point. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up a little.
STEP 4: Scoop out 12 small balls of dough and then roll each ball in damp hands to form a smooth ball. Space them out evenly on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
STEP 5: Gently flatten the dough balls with the bottom of a drinking glass. Repeat with the leftover dough.
PRO TIP #2: This cookie dough is very sticky so don’t try to use a cookie scoop to portion them out. Go with the old fashioned method of scooping the dough with a spoon and pushing the dough off with your finger.
STEP 6: Bake and then cool the cookies completely on a wire rack.
STEP 7: To make the cream cheese frosting, mix the butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until well-combined. Mix in the sifted confectioners’ sugar until combined.
STEP 8: Frost the cookies and then dust the tops with a tiny bit of ground cinnamon.
How to Store Eggnog Sugar Cookies
The best way to store these cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay soft for about 4 days.
Add a small piece of bread to the airtight container to keep these delicious cookies soft for another 3 to 4 days.
What to Serve with Eggnog Cookies
Seeing as these are a really fantastic holiday cookie recipe, my guess is that you’re probably going to want to include them on your holiday cookie boxes, platters, and tins and as the star of your holiday cookie exchanges.
If you’re up for hosting holiday cheer in your home, you’re definitely going to want to add these soft eggnog cookies to a holiday charcuterie dessert board and serve them alongside a batch of delicious Christmas cocktails.
And, if you have a houseful of eggnog lovers, why not go all out with an eggnog dessert table filled with eggnog pound cake, an eggnog icebox cake, and make my Starbucks eggnog latte recipe to go along with all of it!
Eggnog Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Eggnog Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting are the most delicious Christmas cookies you can make during the holiday season. Feel free to use homemade eggnog if you have some, but I love and cherish classic store-bought eggnog for my eggnog cookie recipe.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 cups (285 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for baking prep
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp table salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for assembling
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (170 g or 12 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp eggnog extract (See Note below)
- ¼ tsp rum or butter rum extract (See Note below)
- ½ cup full-fat eggnog
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup (56 g or 4 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 oz (113 g) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of table salt
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together, until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg yolks, vanilla, eggnog extract, and rum or butter rum extract until almost fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another 10 to 15 seconds, to fully combine.
- In 5 alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture, add the dry ingredients and eggnog. Stir each addition on low speed until fully incorporated before adding the next addition. Give the bowl and paddle a really good scrape and stir to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly combined. (The dough will be very sticky.) Let the dough rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Using a large kitchen spoon (like a soup spoon), scoop portions of the dough and push them with your pointer finger (yes, old school cookie making here!) into 12 equally-spaced mounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Don’t try to use a cookie scoop for this dough - the dough is much too sticky! Each portion should be about 2 tablespoons. With slightly damp hands, roll each dough portion into a ball and place each back on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Wet the flat bottom of a drinking glass with a wet paper towel. Dip the damp glass bottom into a small bowl of flour. Gently press each dough ball with the bottom of the glass until the dough is about ½-inch thick. Redip the glass in the flour after every 2 or 3 cookies to ensure the dough doesn’t stick.
- Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the pans from top to bottom and back to front, and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. Err on the lower side of the baking time. The cookies will be done when the edges are just slightly browned and they lift off the baking sheet without crumbling the cookie. Cool the cookies on the sheets on wire racks for about 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to the racks to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Combine the butter, cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Using a hand mixer (or in the stand mixer), beat the ingredients together, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed, until completely combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed until completely combined.
- Assemble: Using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, cover the entire top of a cookie with a generous amount of frosting; repeat with the remaining frosting and cookies. Sprinkle the tops with a tiny dusting of ground cinnamon to finish.
Notes
A note on the extracts: If you have both the eggnog and rum/butter rum extracts, use them both. If not, use one of them. If you don’t have either, sub an extra ¾ tsp vanilla extract. Without the eggnog and/or rum extracts, you'll lose some of the classic eggnog flavor but these cookies will still be great.
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