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A plate of iced butter cookies with eggnog on the table.
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4.94 from 16 votes

Eggnog Iced Butter Cookies

This eggnog cookie recipe is so easy with a spiced butter cookie base and homemade icing made with real eggnog! They are perfect for the holidays!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter divided
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour sifted
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • pinch ground black pepper
  • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large whole egg room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons eggnog
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon rum extract

For the Icing

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoon eggnog until pourable
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the Eggnog Butter Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt a 1/2 cup of butter. Continue to melt, constantly stirring, until the butter starts to foam up and darken. The butter will start to smell nutty and brown specks will begin to form at the bottom. Remove the brown butter from the heat, transfer it to a bowl, and allow it to completely cool.
  • Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and black pepper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, combine the remaining butter, sugar, and cooled brown butter. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the whole egg, egg yolk, eggnog, vanilla and rum extracts, then continue to beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.
  • Begin to gradually add in the flour mixture, taking breaks to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Do not over mix.
  • Roll the dough into 1-2” balls and line them up on the baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until firm around the edges but cracked and soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before moving them over to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely.
  • Bake the cookies in batches. If baking more than one batch in a row, make space in between racks in the oven and rotate the pans halfway through.

For the Eggnog Icing

  • Whisk together all ingredients until pourable.
  • Once cookies are cooled, drizzle icing over the tops of cookies in a decorative pattern.
  • Optional: Add sprinkles to tops of cookies and serve.

Notes

  • Bake the cookies in batches. If baking more than one tray at a time, make space between racks in the oven and rotate the pans halfway through to make sure they cook evenly.
  • Don't over-mix your cookie dough. Too much mixing activates the gluten more and can make your cookies tough.
  • Drizzle the cookies on a wire rack over a pan. Place your wire rack up above a baking sheet so that excess icing drizzles off the cookies and onto the baking sheet. This makes cleanup a snap!
  • Use a whisk, spoon, or fork to drizzle the icing over the cookies. You can go over the cookies in various directions to create a simple pattern with the icing.
  • Spacing the cookies on the baking pan. These cookies have a small spread so you need to leave some room for them to spread out.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 167IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg