Description
These Vanilla Brown Sugar Eggnog Cookies are a festive and flavorful holiday treat featuring a rich brown sugar dough infused with bourbon and warm spices, topped with a smooth spiced vanilla icing. Perfect for Christmas celebrations, the cookies can be cut into fun shapes like snowflakes, Christmas trees, and the Grinch, then decorated beautifully with icing, edible gold dust, and sprinkles.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus an additional 2-4 tablespoons if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Spiced Vanilla Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- 1/2 cup eggnog (or use milk or water)
- Edible gold dust, vanilla sugar, and/or sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the room temperature butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. Beat in the bourbon (if using) and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and kosher salt, and continue to beat until the dough forms a cohesive ball. If the dough feels too wet to roll out, gradually mix in 2-4 tablespoons more flour until it is manageable.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Roll and Cut the Cookies: Divide the dough in half. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Use holiday-themed cookie cutters such as Christmas trees, snowflakes, and the Grinch to cut shapes from the dough. Use a floured spatula to carefully transfer the cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and freeze the cookies for 15 minutes to firm up the dough, which helps maintain shape during baking. Roll out leftover scraps and repeat cutting as needed.
- Bake the Cookies: Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they are just lightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Prepare the Spiced Vanilla Icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and grated nutmeg. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of eggnog (or milk/water) at a time, whisking until the icing is smooth and drizzly. Add more liquid if necessary to reach desired consistency.
- Decorate the Cookies: Use a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a small corner snipped off to pipe the icing onto cooled cookies. Decorate with sprinkles, vanilla sugar, or edible gold dust as desired. For snowflake cookies, pipe lines and dots to enhance the design. For Christmas trees, fill in the shape with icing and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. For the Grinch, use edible gold dust for the eyes and add details like eyebrows and mouth with dyed icing. Allow the icing to set completely, about one hour, before serving.
Notes
- To pipe frosting onto cookies, place frosting in a small sandwich-size Ziploc bag or piping bag and snip a very small corner for controlled icing application.
- Vanilla Sugar can be made by mixing 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or the seeds from half a vanilla bean.
- Use holiday-themed cookie cutters such as snowflakes, Christmas trees, and the Grinch for festive shapes.
- Freezing the cut-out cookies before baking helps the shapes keep their detail.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
