These Eggnog Cookies are insanely soft and chewy, with a lovely eggnog flavor. Even if you don’t like eggnog, you will fall in love with these cookies. They are perfect for the holidays!
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.
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 – flour, baking soda, 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’d you like.
The final cookies are amazing! Soft, chewy and SO full of flavor – not to mention easy to make!
Tips for the Best Eggnog Cookies
- Store-bought eggnog. These cookies bake best with a store bought eggnog. With a homemade eggnog, they bake a little unpredictably.
- Measure correctly. Measure the flour correctly so that your cookies don’t turn out dry. To get it right, use a food scale or the spoon and level method.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cookie dough, mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing past this point can cause the glutens to overdevelop, resulting in tough, dense cookies.
- Cookie size. 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.
- Refrigeration. 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.
How To Store Them
- Room temperature: Once completely cooled, these eggnog cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re best enjoyed within 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Cooled cookies can also be frozen in a ziploc bag or other container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and enjoy!
More Great Eggnog-Filled Recipes
Eggnog Cookies
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Ingredients
Eggnog Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60ml) eggnog
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar (for rolling)
Eggnog Icing, optional
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons eggnog
- Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- 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.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract mix until well combined.
- Add the eggnog and mix until well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- 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.
- 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.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies should stay soft and chewy for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Eggnog – These cookies bake best with a store bought eggnog. I use this eggnog. With a homemade eggnog, they bake a little unpredictably.
- Frosting – 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
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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!
So glad you enjoyed them!
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!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything!
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
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.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
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.
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them!
They did not spread, do you know why??
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.
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.
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!
Will these cookies be ok to freeze, or will that ruin them?
I haven’t tested freezing them, so you never know. But I think they’d be ok.
Dan, did you try freezing them?
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!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
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?
Reducing the amount of baking soda will affect the way the cookies bake.
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?
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?
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.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
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.
They are the same thing. Granulated sugar is what I used in this recipe.
Delicious!!!!!!!!! Very easy to make.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
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
When you say puffy, do you mean they are thicker? I did not flatten these before baking them.
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
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.