Celebrate Christmas with these mouth-watering, cakey, soft eggnog cookies. They are an eggnog lover’s dream and are filled with incredible flavor to make the perfect holiday treat. You will love the eggnog frosting!

Frosted eggnog cookies on white round plate next to glass of eggnog, small pinecone and cinnamon sticks.

Impress your family and friends with these irresistible melt-in-your-mouth eggnog cookies! They always go down well and are a great alternative for those who are not a fan of drinking eggnog.

These Christmas cookies are infused with aromatic, holiday spices and topped with smooth, spiked eggnog with rum frosting. Feel free to dunk them in milk, eggnog or Irish cream when serving for more fun and flavor.

Why this recipe works

This cookie recipe is a spin on the traditional eggnog drink. It incorporates eggnog flavors such as eggs, rum and nutmeg to make a memorable treat. The rum extract adds a distinctive concentrated rum flavor to the cookies and frosting while the egg yolks give the cookies a yummy eggy flavor.

Ingredient notes

eggnog cookie ingredients in bowls labeled with text.
  • Eggnog: Use good quality eggnog for this recipe for the best flavors and avoid using homemade eggnog as it may affect the texture of the cookies. The eggnog should also be at room temperature.
  • Unsalted butter: Make sure that the unsalted butter is at room temperature to achieve the perfect cookie dough.
  • Egg yolks: Egg yolks gives these cookie an extra eggy flavor. Select fresh yolks for the best results.
  • Rum extract: This adds a deliciously rich flavor of rum to the cookies.
  • Spices: Don’t skip the nutmeg and cinnamon as they add the classic seasonal flavors.

Recipe variations

If you are not a fan of alcohol then feel free to omit the rum extract and stick to vanilla extract instead. This will give the cookies more of a vanilla-like flavor and it can be served to kids too.

Plain eggnog cookies without frosting is another great alternative if you are short on time or not a fan of frosting. Follow this recipe and skip the frosting steps.

These cookies can also be frosted with cream cheese frosting instead (similar to my frosted pumpkin cookies). Make cream cheese frosting by beating 8 ounces of cream cheese and ¼ cup butter until smooth and creamy. Then add 1 ¾ cups of confectioners sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, then mix until combined.

How to make eggnog cookies

photo collage demonstrating how to make eggnog cookies in a mixing bowl.
  1. Combine dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Beat wet ingredients: Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a separate bowl using an electric mixer. Mix the ingredients for 3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add egg yolks one at a time following the extracts and eggnog.
  3. Combine wet and dry ingredients: Next, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
  4. Chill cookie dough: Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350 F.
  5. Bake cookies: Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge. Then scoop dough with an ice cream scoop, roll it into a ball and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step for the remaining dough. Then bake the cookies for 11 to 13 minutes. Once the cookies have baked, leave them to cool completely before frosting.
  6. Make the frosting: As the cookies cool prepare the frosting. Beat butter in a bowl for 5 minutes or until pale. Then add rum extract and eggnog to the butter. Mix until combined then whisk in confectioners’ sugar to make eggnog frosting.
  7. Decorate cookies: Finally, spread the frosting over the cooled cookies as desired then dust them with freshly grated nutmeg.

Expert tips

Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale. For accurate measurements, use a kitchen scale to weigh all of the ingredients. However, if you don’t have a kitchen scale then you can fluff up your flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife.

Prepare your ingredients properly. For extra soft eggnog cookies, sift all of the dry ingredients first to remove any lumps. In addition, ensure that all of the ingredients being used are at room temperature to achieve the perfect texture when mixing the cookie dough and frosting.

Make sure you chill the dough. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes ensures that the cookies do not spread too much as they bake. You also need to avoid overworking the dough when rolling them into a ball as this will affect the texture of the cookies.

Let the cookies cool completely. It is important to let the cookies cool completely before adding the eggnog frosting. If the cookies are still warm then the frosting will melt!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze eggnog cookies?

Yes, eggnog cookies can be frozen. Place the cookies in an airtight container, separate layers with wax paper then freeze them for up to 30 days. When defrosting the cookies, let them come to room temperature and serve.

Do eggnog cookies need to be refrigerated?

Eggnog cookies can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 5 days. Alternatively, they can be stored at room temperature for 3 days.

What can I use instead of rum extract?

If you don’t have rum extract to hand then swap it for white rum instead. However, the flavor won’t be as strong.

Why is my frosting goopy?

Using butter that is too warm or too much eggnog can result in a goopy frosting. To firm up the frosting, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, mix it for 5 seconds then frost the cooled cookies.

Frosted eggnog cookie with a bite on top of two more cookies on wire cooling rack.

Related recipes

Give these recipes a try if you are looking for more eggnog recipes.

Best Boozy Eggnog Cheesecake

Eggnog Ice Cream

Easy Homemade Eggnog

Soft and Fluffy Eggnog Cupcakes

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frosted eggnog cookies dusted with nutmeg on vintage wire cooling rack

Soft Eggnog Cookies

Yield: 32 cookies
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Chilling Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 22 mins
Celebrate Christmas with these mouth-watering, cakey, soft eggnog cookies. They are an eggnog lover's dream and are filled with incredible flavor to make the perfect holiday treat.
5 (4 ratings)
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Ingredients

Eggnog Cookies

  • 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for topping
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon rum extract¹
  • ½ cup eggnog, room temperature

Frosting

  • ½ cup (113 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 – 5 Tablespoons eggnog
  • ½ teaspoon rum extract
  • 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar

Instructions 

Eggnog cookies

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), mix butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing just until combined. Add vanilla extract, rum extract and egg nog and mix until incorporated.
  • With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (avoid over mixing).
  • Cover and chill cookie dough for 30 minutes and up to 48 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator.
  • Scoop dough out by heaping tablespoonfuls, gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Space cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the eggnog frosting.

Eggnog Frosting

  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), whip butter until very pale, about 3 minutes. Add the rum extract and 3 tablespoons eggnog and mix just until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add powdered sugar. If necessary, add more eggnog one tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
  • Use an offset spatula to spread frosting on cooled cookies. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg if desired.

Notes

Rum extract substitute: You may substitute rum extract for the real thing. Substitute with 1 teaspoon white rum.
Storing eggnog cookies: Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You may let cookies come to room temperature before serving if they were kept in the refrigerator.
Freezing eggnog cookie dough: Dough may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Let dough defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature and baking.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 176kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 44mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 254IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Haley D Williams
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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