Weather: 27 degrees, a little bit of snow fell earlier today
What I’m listening to: Irish Christmas station on Pandora
To create these sparkly beauties, I adapted my popular “Lofthouse style” Big Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies and made a Christmas version, using the festive flavors of eggnog. OH. MY. YES. I’m a big eggnog fan and I’m always looking for excuses to use it in baking. But, my oldest son, who doesn’t typically enjoy drinking eggnog, absolutely loved these cookies right along with the rest of the family. Nothing makes me happier than to convert a hater into a lover where food and flavors are concerned.
If you’re a fan of the original version of these cookies, never fear. They are still the exact same soft, tender bakery quality cookie you’re accustomed to, slathered with the same fluffy buttercream frosting. Here’s what I did to create the eggnog magic: I added a fair amount of ground nutmeg to the dry ingredients and I subbed out the vanilla extract for rum extract instead. I also stirred two tablespoons of eggnog into the Greek yogurt before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. I made similar substitutions with the frosting – rum extract for vanilla and eggnog instead of cream. These slight tweaks to an already reliable base recipe make a delightful, addictive, and eye-catching Christmas cookie.
May your days be merry and bright. And may they include cookies.
Big Soft Frosted Eggnog Sugar Cookies
Big, soft “Lofthouse style” frosted sugar cookies all dressed up for the holidays with the flavors of eggnog.
Yields: About 2 dozen cookies.
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 2 tablespoons eggnog
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- For the Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons eggnog
- turbinado sugar and/or freshly grated nutmeg, for sprinkling on top
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs, followed by the rum extract. In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt and the eggnog until combined, then add it to the bowl of the stand mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed as you mix. Gradually add the dry ingredients until it all just comes together. The dough will be sticky.
Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 425, placing oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Unwrap the dough and place it onto a floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour also. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough with a round cutter (about 2 inch size). Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake the cookies 6-7 minutes until cooked through and golden on the bottom (mine were perfect at 6 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. You don't want any color on the top of sides of the cookies, just the bottom). Transfer cookies immediately to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
To Make Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and rum extract. Reduce speed and add the powdered sugar gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggnog gradually, then increase the speed and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Frost cookies (I used a piping bag with a large round tip in a round swirling motion, then used a small off-set spatula to lightly spread the frosting). Sprinkle the cookies with turbinado sugar and/or freshly ground nutmeg directly after frosting.
Store cookies in an airtight container.
