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These Eggnog cookies are tender and rich and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Coated in powdered sugar with a hint of rum flavor, these Christmas cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie tray!
Best Eggnog Cookie Recipe
We have a variety of Christmas cookie recipes, so these Eggnog Cookies are in excellent company. Try my Red Velvet Cookie recipe Ricotta Cookies, Butter Cookies, and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.
My family is pretty busy, especially this time of year, so I love any recipe that’s quick, easy, and delicious. These Meltaway Eggnog Cookies definitely fill all of those requirements!
Eggnog Cookies have a delicious eggnog flavor without being overpowering at all. They’re tender and buttery and pretty much just melt in your mouth. They’re sweet treats that are perfect for the holiday season and would be lovely at a cookie exchange or on a plate of treats for the neighbors! I hope you’ll try them and love them as much as my family did!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – the base of the cookie dough.
- Cornstarch – mixed with the flour, the cornstarch help create the perfect fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture for your eggnog cookie.
- Salt – just a little, to help balance the sweetness.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – spices added to give that eggnog flavor a bump – a teaspoon of cinnamon and a little ground nutmeg.
- Powdered sugar – the sweetener for the cookies, plus you’ll dip the cookie in the powdered sugar for the finishing effect.
- Butter – it is beaten with the powdered sugar to add richness to the cookie.
- Rum extract – A flavoring that sometimes is made with real rum so be sure to read the ingredients on the package.
- Vanilla extract – flavor balancer and enhancer.
- Eggnog – Just a little for flavor and moisture.
How To Make Eggnog Cookies
Want to know the steps to make eggnog cookies? Here is the condensed version. You’ll find complete instructions and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Preheat the oven. In a small mixing bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. The cornstarch is crucial to these eggnog cookies because it makes the dough soft and gives the cookies that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Mix. Using the large bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or a handheld electric mixer, on medium speed and beat softened butter with powdered sugar until it’s fluffy and light in color. Add rum extract, vanilla, and eggnog and beat until combined. Stir in flour mixture on low speed until a thick dough forms.
- Bake. Place one-inch balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 14-15 minutes. Cookies should be light in color and not browned on the bottom. Do not overbake or the cookies can become crumbly. Cool completely on baking racks.
- Coat in Powdered Sugar. Let the cookies cool about 15 minutes or so, then roll them in powdered sugar. If they’re too warm, the sugar will melt. Pro tip: Use a fork to lift them out of the sugar, and gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove any excess sugar.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: Place cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
Freezing: Place cooled cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. Place parchment paper between layers and store cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- This recipe does not require you to chill the dough, but if you’d like to make it ahead of time, you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- For best results, use a cookie scoop the get even tablespoonfuls of dough balls for your cookies.
- You can add a little rum to your eggnog if you like, for more depth of flavor.
More Christmas Cookies to Try
Eggnog Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup eggnog
- 1 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment or spray with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the rum extract, vanilla, and eggnog, and mix to combine (it's okay if it doesn't mix together perfectly at this point). Add the dry ingredients and mix to form a thick dough.
- Shape the dough into one inch balls and place 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
- Remove and let cool 15 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
These definitely melt in the mouth tender; but I would flatten them out on the cookie sheet. The centers on mine were not cooked through after 16 minutes.
I have a few questions and would really appreciate a quick response as I’m in the middle of making these things. In the directions, you have add an egg, an egg is not listed in the ingredients. In the ingredient list you have vanilla extract yet it’s not in the directions. Also, did you use salted or unsalted butter? Please clarify. Thanks.
Hi Kymborlee, I’m not sure what you mean. There are no eggs listed in the recipe ingredients or instructions. And the vanilla is listed in the ingredients and in step 3 of the instructions. Please make sure you are looking at the printable recipe card. I typically use salted butter, which is what you would commonly used unless it’s specified to be unsalted.
I just took my first batch out of the oven… um. Wow… DELICIOUS. the only thing I changed was I used Myers rum instead of rum extract (only because I didn’t have any rum extract and wanted to use something.) I wanted to make these for my son who just graduated from the US Army bootcamp and will be away for thanksgiving. He loves eggnog and I know he will enjoy these as well. Thank you for sharing
You are so welcome Jen, thank you so much for taking the time to leave some positive feedback.
My cookies would not bake all the way through. I kept letting them bake longer until they began to brown too much on the bottom, so I couldn’t keep going. The flavor is good, but the eggnog part is quite faint, so reducing the amount of eggnog to make them less “wet” I don’t think would be a good idea….any other suggestions? TIA!
These were delicious! My cookies were a little hollow for some reason which made them a very crumbly. I wonder why that was?!
I would make them again despite the crumble mess. Thank you for sharing!
I just tried this one last night because my boyfriend loves eggnog! My only issue was that the balls flattened slightly during baking. I wonder if refrigerating the dough for an hour or two prior to baking might correct this? They were delicious and had wonderful texture. I grated the nutmeg into the batter fresh and it really comes through. Thanks for the recipe!
Can you freeze these? Lovely recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I’m guessing that because of the powdered sugar they wouldn’t freeze very well. I imagine that they would end up pretty soggy.
Thank you for this awesome recipe. These turned out perfectly. I followed recipe exact and used a cookie scoop to make all the balls even . They baked up perfect. I am signing up to receive more of your recipes. Have a very Merry Christmas.
Is it accurate on the
1/2 cup corn starch.
Thank you for sharing
That was my question too, 1/2 c. of corn starch seems like A LOT. Maybe it’s supposed to be 1/2 T.?
1/2 cup corn starch is the correct amount. The corn starch contributes a lot to the texture and makes the cookies melt in your mouth.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
It should make about 2-3 dozen.