With a hint of spice and a dash of rum, these Eggnog Sugar Cookies are perfect for the holidays. Decorate them how you like, wrap them up as gifts, or just nibble on them during the festive season.
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Sugar cookies are among the easiest – and prettiest – cookies to make. The dough comes together quickly and will even keep in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to bake them. And these cookies cut out easily, so you can make whatever holiday shapes you like!
With a hint of spice from the cinnamon and nutmeg and a subtle rum flavor, these cookies are pretty darn good. They have a light crispness to them and aren’t too sweet, so by the time you’ve iced and decorated them, they’re not overly sweet.
I love making sugar cookies – and so do my kids! And, who doesn’t love decorating cookies? I pull out all my holiday cookie shapes, make a batch of royal icing, and get out all my sprinkles. Confession: I may be a bit of a sprinkle hoarder. This is such an easy Eggnog Sugar Cookie recipe, and it doubles in case you need more than about 2 dozen cookies.
Are you ready for some festive fun? Here’s how to make Eggnog Sugar Cookies!
What you’ll love about Eggnog Sugar Cookies
- A hint of spice and rum makes them a tasty festive cookie!
- Easy to make and quick baking means you can eat in no time!
- The dough keeps in the fridge or freezer for cookies anytime!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Butter – I use salted butter.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar.
- Eggs – Just 1 egg.
- Rum extract – You can find this in the baking section of most large grocery stores.
For the Royal Icing:
- Powdered sugar – AKA icing sugar or confectioners sugar.
- Meringue powder – You can find this in the baking section of most large grocery stores, or at a craft store in the cake decorating section.
- Water
How To Make The Best Eggnog Sugar Cookies
- Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and rum extract to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until combined.
- Add half the flour mixture with the mixer off, then when combined, add the remaining flour.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until quite cold and firm.
- Preheat the oven to 375-F, and 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface, and dust the rolling pin with flour, too.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and roll it out quite thin – about 1/8th of an inch. Cut the cookies with your favorite cookie cutters and transfer them to the lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes or until they are just lightly brown around the edges.
- Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Decorate and enjoy!
How To Make Royal Icing
- Add the powdered sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or into a medium size bowl with a hand mixer.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water to the icing sugar mixture and beat well, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the icing is smooth and fluid but not too runny.
Recommended
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- If the dough is sticking to the counter or rolling pin, dust it with more flour.
- Roll the dough out on parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Make sure to re-roll all the scraps as many times as needed to use them up.
- Your cookies may take more or less time to bake, depending on how big or small you’ve cut them. So keep an eye on them!
- Make sure the cookies are very cool before trying to ice them.
- Royal icing hardens at room temperature, so leave the cookies out to dry – but make sure you add your sprinkles while the icing is wet!
How To Decorate Sugar Cookies
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small circular tip with royal icing OR add the royal icing to a small zipper-top plastic bag and seal it. Cut a tiny bit of the corner of the bag.
- Outline the cookie with the icing and then fill it in – use a toothpick to nudge the icing into any small gaps and unfilled areas.
- Add the sprinkles while the icing is still wet, then let the cookies dry at room temperature for a few hours.
Storage
Eggnog Sugar Cookies will keep in an air-tight container on the counter for up to a week. You can also keep the cookie dough in the fridge or freezer until needed – just keep it tightly wrapped in plastic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wondering how to fix runny Royal Icing? Just add spoonfuls of powdered sugar, one at a time, with the mixer running, until your icing is the perfect consistency. It should be fluid but not too runny.
If your Eggnog Sugar Cookie dough is sticking to the rolling pin or the counter, you need more flour! Dust the surface of the cookie dough with flour, dust the counter with flour, dust the rolling pin with flour. Dust it enough that the dough isn’t sticking to the rolling pin or counter.
If your dough is not super cold, then sugar cookies can spread while baking and lose their shape. Also make sure your baking sheets are cold (or at least room temperature) – and not hot, when you put the cut cookies onto them.
Step By Step Process
Eggnog Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheets
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
For the Royal Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and rum extract to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until combined.
- Add half the flour mixture with the mixer off, then when combined, add the remaining flour.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until quite cold and firm.
- Preheat the oven to 375-F, and 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface, and dust the rolling pin with flour, too.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and roll it out quite thin – about 1/8th of an inch. Cut the cookies with your favorite cookie cutters and transfer them to the lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes or until they are just lightly brown around the edges.
- Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Decorate and enjoy!
To make the Royal Icing
- Add the powdered sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or into a medium size bowl with a hand mixer.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water to the icing sugar mixture and beat well, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the icing is smooth and fluid but not too runny.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- If the dough is sticking to the counter or rolling pin, dust it with more flour.
- Roll the dough out on parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Make sure to re-roll all the scraps as many times as needed to use them up.
- Your cookies may take more or less time to bake, depending on how big or small you’ve cut them. So keep an eye on them!
- Make sure the cookies are very cool before trying to ice them.
- Royal icing hardens at room temperature, so leave the cookies out to dry – but make sure you add your sprinkles while the icing is wet!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
