Soft and Chewy Eggnog Cookies

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These Eggnog Cookies are insanely soft and chewy. You have to make them! Even if you don’t like eggnog, you will fall in love with these cookies.

Eggnog Cookies

Eggnog is one of my favorite holiday flavors! I love them all, but as soon as eggnog hits the stores we start drinking it. I’m always stocking up on it so we don’t run out.

So naturally, when I decided to make an eggnog cookie it needed to not just have eggnog in it, but it needed to really taste like eggnog. And these cookies fit the bill! They are perfectly soft, chewy and eggnog flavored!

They are a lot like eating a sugar cookie, but with eggnog and some spices. Plus, the eggnog makes them even more chewy and soft! The edges are only slightly crunchy and they just stay soft. For days. Seriously awesome. And did I mention that they’re eggnog-y?

There’s also an optional eggnog icing you can use on the cookies. The one included with the recipe works great for drizzling over the cookies, but you could also frost the whole cookie with this eggnog icing.

Overhead view of Eggnog Cookies and glasses of eggnog on a white marble table top

How to make Soft and Chewy Eggnog Cookies

Making these cookies is SUPER simple! Just a few steps and a little time and you’re well on your way to your new favorite holiday cookie!

The first step in these cookies is to cream the butter and sugar together. It adds air to the mixture that helps give the cookies rise.

Next, you’ll add the egg and vanilla extract, then the eggnog. I would recommend sticking with a store bought eggnog (I use this one). I tried these out with a homemade eggnog and they didn’t bake as well. Each batch looked different than the previous one and just gave inconsistent results.

Finally, add the dry ingredients. Included in those are flour, baking soda and spices. There’s a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. While it may seem weird to include the ginger, it really does add great flavor.

Roll the cookie dough into two tablespoon sized balls, roll them in some sugar and bake them! When they’re done, you can drizzle them with some eggnog icing, if you like.

The final cookies are amazing! Soft, chewy and SO full of flavor – not to mention easy to make!

Five Eggnog Cookies stacked with the top cookie missing a bite
Eggnog Cookies topped with frosting and two glasses of eggnog in the background

Tips for the Best Eggnog Cookies

  • These cookies bake best with a store bought eggnog. With a homemade eggnog, they bake a little unpredictably.
  • Be sure to measure your flour accurately. Adding too much or too little can greatly affect how your cookies spread.
  • Your cookies can also be affected by the size of cookie dough ball you make. A larger ball will produce a cookie that spreads more. A smaller one will spread less. I’d recommend following the two tablespoons in the recipe for cookies that look like the ones in the photos.
  • These cookies puff up as they bake, but fall and get a little crackly on top as they cool, making them super soft and chewy.
  • This cookie dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated. If you decide to refrigerate it, you’ll want to bring it room temperature before baking so that they cookies spread properly.
Six Eggnog Cookies stacked with the top cookie missing a bite.

More Great Eggnog-Filled Recipes:

Eggnog Cheesecake
Eggnog Cupcakes
Eggnog Crumb Cake
Eggnog Spice Blondie Cheesecake
Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnog Icing
Eggnog Layer Cake
Eggnog Macarons

Print
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Five Eggnog Cookies stacked with the top cookie missing a bite
Recipe

Eggnog Cookies

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 11 minutes
  • Total Time: 56 minutes
  • Yield: About 20 Cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Eggnog Cookies are insanely soft and chewy. You have to make them! Even if you don’t like eggnog, you will fall in love with these cookies.


Ingredients

Eggnog Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cups (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (207g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) eggnog
  • 34 tbsp sugar (additional, for rolling)

Eggnog Icing, optional

  • 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
  • 23 tbsp eggnog
  • Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract mix until well combined.
5. Add the eggnog and mix until well combined.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. It will be  a little sticky, but should still be workable. Do not over mix.
7. Create 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
8. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will spread and the centers will look soft, but should look done. Remove just as the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t over bake. The cookies will be a little puffy when you take them out of the oven but will fall a bit as they cool.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. If using the icing, combine the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of eggnog and nutmeg in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add additional eggnog, as needed.
11. Drizzle the icing over the cookies and allow to dry. The icing will firm up and no longer be sticky, but won’t be as hard as something like royal icing.
12. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies should stay soft and chewy for 3-4 days.

Notes

If you’d like to fully frost the cookies (instead of just drizzling the icing on them), I recommend this eggnog icing. It’s a little more substantial for covering a full cookie and dries with a nice look and texture.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cookie
  • Calories: 167
  • Sugar: 11 g
  • Sodium: 98.7 mg
  • Fat: 7.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23 g
  • Protein: 2.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 29.5 mg

Categories

Recipe modified from Up in Cumming Magazine.

Enjoy!

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Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you and seeing what you made!

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80 Comments
  1. Nicole C.

    I’ve made this recipe a few times and it’s a good one! They taste like eggnog cookies should taste. Don’t stress if you can’t roll them, because the dough is very sticky, but you can shape them on the cookie sheet, and they come out perfectly.






  2. Jack

    Made these because my grandkids love eggnog as much as I do and thought it would be a good addition to my files. I found them rather bland, so I whipped up the icing but they were still bland. So I finally got out the Nutmeg and sprinkled some on top. It did the trick for me. They were very tasty. Waiting to hear back from the kids.

  3. Amanda

    I used three quarter cup of sugar instead and used 1 tbsp cookie scoop and baked for 11 min they are slightly crunchy on outside and soft inside really good!






  4. alex

    is this a recipe that would be okay to freeze the dough balls so that i can bake them later? (probably in a week or so)

  5. Bridget

    I made these for a work cookie swap. I used a local farm’s eggnog which I think resulted in the ginger becoming the star flavor. I cut the ginger in half for my second batch and made the eggnog icing instead of the drizzle. It was an instant hit. I’ve made 3 batches in 2 weeks and have requests for 2 more. I’m making 1 batch with a Caribbean vanilla rum out of curiosity as well. I also tried a gluten/dairy free version at a friend’s request but found the cookies simply spread too much and fell apart.






  6. Irene

    I loved the taste of these coookies! I have one question though. mIne were delish but they did not deflate after baking now were they chewy. They were soft and puffed up. Do you have any idea what I did wrong?






    1. Lindsay

      It’s hard to say for sure. It could be that the flour wasn’t quite measured right or something. There can also be differences in ovens.

    2. Kara

      I had this happen as well the second time I baked them I think i slightly over baked them, however the batch of dough sat in my fridge for a week or 2 before i got around to baking the rest of it so it may have had something to do with that as well-just thought I’d add my experience with it.

  7. Allison Marsh

    Our cookies turned out very tasty, but with a few tweaks! I really wanted these to taste like eggnog and so many recipes I browsed had reviews about flavor being a bit lacking, so with that in mind I changed the following: upped the cinnamon and nutmeg (used freshly grated) to 3/4 tsp, added 1/4 tsp allspice, and upped the eggnog to 1/2 cup. Cooking time was impacted (likely from the additional moisture from eggnog) so it took 12 minutes for ours to bake. I would suggest chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling them into balls and rolling in additional sugar just for an easier time with it. Overall, we loved them and the soft, chewy texture of eggnog-flavored cookies–so good with coffee in the morning too.






  8. Kristin

    These are delicious! The perfect texture and just the right amount of eggnog taste. Will definitely be making again.






  9. Rebekah

    I couldn’t wait to make these but when I did they lacked any flavor other than flour. I weighted everything out too. Any idea what happened? Or has anyone else has this issue?

  10. Veronique

    Followed this recipe to the T! 
    Great recipe! THANK YOU! 
    I made these for a cookie exchange 🤗
    I will be doing these again! Instead of rolling the cookie in plain sugar I added cinnamon to to mix!  Didn’t need to use the glaze! 






  11. Molly

    This is the second recipe of yours that I’ve made, and they both turned out amazing! I want to make everything you have on your site!






  12. addy

    these turned out really well for me. I baked them a little longer than is said and added just a little less ginger. they had a really good flavor and were a good cookie






  13. Christianne Boudreau

    These are delicious. Especially to help wash down Gingerbread spiced rum and eggnog. This will get me into Santa’s good books for sure. I will make sure I make extra wishes. One thing to note is that one batch of eggnog glaze works for two batches of cookies so you may as well double up.






  14. Mary

    I’ve been on a baking kick lately (mostly cookies) and randomly thought “eggnog cookies”? So I googled it, found this recipe and fell in love. I’m making them for the second time in a week right now (I gave half of them away to my brother who also couldn’t get enough) and I’ll be taking half of these to share at work. Im obsessed, they are perfectly moist, somewhat cakey but also a bit reminiscent of sugar cookie texture. The flavor is just like eggnog, absolutely delicious and decadent. I used pumpkin pie spice in place of all the individual spices just for convenience and it works fine in my opinion. No doubt I’ll be making these every holiday season for…probably ever.






    1. Lindsay

      Did you weigh your flour by any chance? Most often with cookies I find that the problem is having too much flour. Even an extra tablespoon or two can make a huge difference in cookies, which is why I really recommend using a food scale.

  15. Carolmartine Mason

    Can I freeze these after baking? Also, if I use salted butter, is that ok?
    I made one batch and they turned out great but I am out of unsalted butter.






    1. Lindsay

      Salted butter is definitely ok. You just will want to reduce or leave out the additional salt.

      As for freezing, I haven’t tried it with these cookies. I’m thinking it’d be ok though. Glad you enjoyed them!

  16. Elise

    Hi! I thought these were really great- both flavor and texture. The only thing I would change is to add more salt to bring out the flavors even more.
    Thanks for the recipe!






  17. Kelly

    Made these for Christmas and I love them, but I did notice that they have a slight baking soda taste. Is it possible to put half the baking soda and still have them bake properly?






  18. Kim

    I am chilling the dough in the fridge right now. It is pretty sticky. Is that how it is suppose to be or was my butter too soft or did I use too much eggnog? They dont sell eggnog here in Germany so I used a pudding that is similar too taste, was that the mistake?

    1. Lindsay

      I honestly haven’t made these cookies for so long, I really don’t remember how the dough was. It’s possible that the pudding mix could have made the dough a bit sticky. Did they turn out ok?

  19. Carolyn Hoitela

    Jus made this recipe tonight. All I can say is YUM!!! What a great recipe. This is a keeper for next Christmas’ cookie baking. Thanks for so many great recipes.

  20. Ashley

    At the top of your ingredients list, it says 2 cups sugar. So I just assumed white sugar. So I’ve already put my butter in. Then I looked at the bottom of the ingredients list, it says “granulated sugar”, which is the same name that is on my white sugar package. So are these the same sugars, or is the 2 cups of sugar a different type of sugar than the “granulated sugar”? I’m assuming they’re the same thing because I’ve already started, haha.

  21. Kara

    These were good, but the ones i made look to be about twice as puffy as yours, do you flatten them after rolling in the sugar? I also grated a bit of nutmeg into the rolling sugar

      1. Kara

        Yes thicker than your picture, yours look kind of flat but some of mine are more domed. I made another batch where i flattened them before baking and they turned out more like the ones in the pic

  22. Jennifer

    Where is the Nutmeg?! Eggnog and Nutmeg belong together! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Although I will add Nutmeg to the recipe.

  23. Brenda Duran

    Made this today & i fell in love! Soft & chewy as I expected them to be ????. Definitely making these again on Christmas Day. I added a glaze over them which turned out better than regular frosting. And added a bit more eggnog & vanilla so I wouldn’t taste a whole lot of spices in them. Definitely recommend ????






  24. Max

    Mine tasted good, but with 2tsp of baking soda they are super puffy. Should it have been baking powder? Squish the balls down before baking? Not chewy like I thought.

  25. Lorraine

    Made these today & love them! A new addition to my Christmas cookie tray. I grated some fresh nutmeg with the sugar for rolling & it tops it. Thanks for the recipe. I will be trying others of yours.

  26. Dushan

    I made these yesterday and they are absolutely amazing! Very good eggnog flavor and super soft. It also yields a lot of cookies, I brought a bunch to work, and my coworkers are loving them. Thanks for the recipe!

  27. Kristin

    Can you substitute pumpkin pie spice for the spices? I don’t really want to go out and buy a whole lot…I’m broke and it’s not even christmas yet!

  28. Eggnog Sugar Cookie Bars

    […] are a few more eggnog recipes from friends: Eggnog Cookies from Life, Love, and Sugar Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes from Baked by Rachel Eggnog Cheesecake Cake from […]

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      They would most likely be fine for at least a week. They are very moist though so you’ll want to make sure they’re packed well so they don’t break.

  29. Favorite Recipes - Daily Dish Magazine~Daily Dish Magazine

    […] chose Soft and Chewy Eggnog Cookies from Life, Love and […]

  30. Diane Balch

    I can tell from your gorgeous pictures how chewy these cookies are and the flavor.. fantastic. Thanks aging for being part of foodie friday, Merry Christmas.

  31. Jerri

    Your cookies sounds great, and all your other desserts look yummy! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites. I’m featuring you this week!

  32. Joanne T Ferguson

    G’day Lindsey, love eggnog anything, true!
    Your cookies look YUM too!
    Cheers! Joanne
    Viewed as part of Foodie Friends Friday Anything Goes Party

  33. Kelly

    I still have some eggnog left in the fridge that I didn’t know what to use them for and these cookies look perfect! Love a soft cookie with crispy edges with festive spices – they sound fantastic – thanks for sharing Lindsay:)

  34. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain

    I need these cookies in my life RIGHT NOW! Oh my god I can imagine enjoying them with an even bigger glass of eggnog right this minute. 😀

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29