Eggnog Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

I decided I wanted to try a few new cookies this year. As we give about 90% of the cookies we make away as gifts, I wanted to add something new.

First up this year was the Eggnog Nutmeg Sugar Cookie. I usually buy the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas cookie magazine every year, and it didn't disappoint. I find one or two recipe that become a classic.

I find the icing on this one a smidgeon sweet so I may to play with it a bit for our own tastes. The recipe called for 3-4 tablespoons of eggnog in the icing. I increased it about 6 tablespoons for easier spreading and a thinner layer.

My daughter (aged 9) and spent the afternoon in the kitchen making these.

Ingredients

½ of a vanilla bean split in half lengthwise or 2 tsp vanilla (I used the seeds of the whole vanilla pod)

1 ¼ cups butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or ½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbsp dairy or canned eggnog

3 ¼ cup all purpose flour

Eggnog Icing

Coarse sugar (optional)

1. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape pulp from the vanilla bean pod and set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high for approx 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, eggnog, and vanilla pulp or vanilla until well combined. Beat in the flour slowly until well combined. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 hour.


2. Preheat oven to 375 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough balls to ¼ inch thick. Using fluted round 3 inch cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper ½ inch apart. Bake in preheated oven for approx 8 minutes or just lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Spread cookies with Eggnog Icing and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Makes approx 24 cookies.

Where I deviated (as I always do). I used a whole pod of vanilla seeds, and I like my sugar cookies thin and smaller. I rolled mine a little thinner that ¼ inch, and found baking them for 5 ½ minutes PERFECT! Oven temps vary so keep an eye on them. My first batch I put in for 7 minutes and they nearly burned. I used a smaller cookie cutter about 2 inch diameter which yielded about 75 cookies.

Eggnog Icing. In a medium bowl, stir together 3 cups powdered icing sugar with ½ tsp vanilla. Stir in enough eggnog to make and icing of spreading consistency. The recipe called for 3-4 tablespoon of eggnog. I used approx 6 tablespoons.

To store: Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container: cover. Store and room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.