Soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced, these Eggnog Cookies will quickly become a holiday favorite! Made with real eggnog and quick and easy to prepare, they’re a staple here at my house around the holidays.
Easy Eggnog Cookies Recipe
Looking for a holiday cookie that goes beyond the basics and is always a hit? Try these eggnog cookies!
They’re quick and easy to make, with no dough chilling required, and are made with just a handful of ingredients. And yes, they’re made with actual eggnog! You can grab your favorite carton at the store or make your own with our eggnog recipe.
If you love the flavor of eggnog we have plenty of recipes for you! Try our Eggnog Pancakes, Eggnog Bread with Rum Glaze, Eggnog Fudge, Eggnog Cake Balls, and Eggnog Pie. If eggnog drinks are more your speed try our Eggnog Latte, Amaretto Eggnog Cocktail, or our White Russian Eggnog.
And truth be told, people that aren’t usually big fans of the drink by itself, usually enjoy these desserts and drinks. There are so many fun ways to use eggnog!
Why You’ll Love These Cookies with Eggnog
These cookies are a holiday staple in our home. Here’s why!
- Quick and easy. From start to finish, these eggnog cookies take just 30 minutes to prepare. Add a few extra minutes for cooling and you can enjoy a soft, chewy cookie warm from the oven.
- Just the right amount of flavor. These cookies have that classic eggnog flavor, with the added benefit of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to balance it out.
- Perfect for a party. This recipe makes 36 cookies, which is perfect if you’re preparing these for holiday cookie swaps, parties, or cookie trays. It can easily be doubled too!
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this eggnog cookies recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Eggnog– Any brand will work or make your own with my homemade eggnog recipe.
- Spices– Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves add a warm flavor to these cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder– This will help your cookies rise.
- Granulated sugar
- Butter– Use unsalted butter to control the flavor. Make sure it’s room temperature so it’s easy to combine but not melted, which would cause the cookies to spread.
- Vanilla– Use pure vanilla extract for best results.
- Salt– Salt will balance the sweetness of the eggnog cookies.
- Eggs
- Frosting– Optional but vanilla buttercream tastes amazing on these cookies!
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips to help you make the best cookies with eggnog.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing the dough can lead to dense and flat cookies.
- Top with additional nutmeg. Nutmeg really enhances the flavor of eggnog and while there is some in the dough, an extra sprinkle really elevates these cookies.
- Avoid overbaking. These cookies bake quickly, in just 10 to 12 minutes. Take care to not overbake as they will dry out. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet to finish cooking.
- Add some frosting. These eggnog cookies are lovely on their own (perhaps dipped in a glass of eggnog?!) but if you want to make them extra special, frost the cooled cookies with some vanilla buttercream before serving.
Storing Eggnog Cookies
- Fridge. These eggnog cookies store best in the fridge. Keep them in an airtight container and they’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. You can also freeze (unfrosted) eggnog cookies. Once they’ve cooled completely, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. I recommend adding layers of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (Best Ever)
- Church Window Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies
- Peppermint Melt-aways
Eggnog Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup eggnog
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together in a small bowl.
- Using an electric mixer cream the sugar and butter together in a large bowl.
- Add the eggnog, vanilla, and egg beating at medium speed until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat at low speed just until blended.
- Create 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and slightly press down.
- Leave 1 inch between each cookie.
- Sprinkle lightly with additional nutmeg.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. (Or until bottoms turn light brown.)
- Allow the cookies to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
- Leave the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cookies are cool, frost them with the buttercream frosting if desired and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the frosting.
- Serve and enjoy!
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Video
Nutrition
Leave a Review!
We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.
Your email address will not be published.
24 comments on “Eggnog Cookies”
Can I make the dough a couple days ahead of time and refrigerate until needed?
Hi Lisa. Yes, this dough will refrigerate well for several days.
Can I use pumpkin pie seasoning instead of buying all 3 spices ?
Hi Virginia. Yes, you can substitute the pumpkin pie spice with great results.
Have made these twice and everyone loves them. Will become part of our Christmas tradition. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thanks Eileen!
The cookies are good but for me it’s too sweet. Maybe instead of adding 1 1/4 c of sugar as the recipe says, I will just add between 3/4 c to 1 c.
Did anyone ever find out about the 1-1/4 sugar? Does it all go into the batter? Or is the 1/4 cup for rolling?
Hi Kimberly. The 1 1/4 cup goes in the cookies. You will need extra for rolling. I will update the recipe. Thanks!
I made these cookies using a 2 tbs scoop but I only got about half the yield indicated – did others have this issue as well? Thank you for your feedback!
Yes, I had the same experience.
Love this recipe!
I had the same question. Googled other recipes and found one that had extra sugar in the ingredients for rolling
Is the 1 1/4 cup of sugar supposed to be divided? The recipe says to mix the sugar in with the cookies, but then “roll each ball in the ADDITIONAL sugar to coat.” I’m not sure if the full 1 1/4 cup of sugar goes into the cookie dough mix.
I just made these and ate one as soon as it was cool enough to not burn my mouth! It was delicious! I found that measuring my dough worked better and I made 40g size dough balls, but they were still pretty big so I’d recommend 30g and spaced more than an inch apart. I had one tray that turned into a giant cookie (I’m not complaining, one serving size is 1 cookie, right?!) I do live at a high altitude so that may have caused the cookies to spread more, as well as the fact I didn’t chill the dough.
I do have a question regarding the sugar. The recipe calls for 1 and ¼C sugar. Is that all supposed to go in the dough or is it 1C in the dough and ¼C for rolling?
have ingredients assembled when i noticed in ingredients it says 1 tsp baking soda, however, in instructions it says baking powder. Question which is it?
Should be baking powder.
These might just be my new favorite cookie period. I want to also try making them in slightly different ways. But anyways, I used only 1/4 tsp. ginger and I think I kept the rest of the recipe the same. I took one person’s suggestion and mixed some nutmeg and cinnamon into the rolling sugar and then rolled them in that. I scooped them with a 2tbsp scoop, rolled them, rolled them in the spiced sugar and then froze them. I baked them for 12 minutes at 375 using parchment on an aluminum (not the dark nonstick kind!) pan.
Let me tell you, these were amazing.
That amount of time, on parchment, on that kind of pan is just perfect. You want to pull them out as soon as they look crackly on top. Mine were slightly under baked and mouthwateringly good. The sugar rolling made a delicate very thin sugar crust, and inside was a soft almost gooey cookie. So so amazing.
On the other hand, I also made them for 12 minutes at 375 on a silicone baking mat and for some reason, they baked faster on the mat. The cookies puffed up and were incredibly light but didn’t really get the sugar crust and turned out a little more dry and cakey. So, maybe 10 minutes on a silicone mat, maybe even less I’m not sure.
if you haven’t tried them this way, you must. They are the best. I like eggnog, but I don’t love it, but I loveeee these cookies. Thank you for this recipe it’s amazing.
so glad you mentioned the freezing, will save time for when needed.!
These are very good. After the first cookie sheet I decided to mix the extra nutmeg in the rolling sugar instead of sprinkling it on. It just wasn’t coming nicely out of my shaker. Also next time I make these… And I will, they are that good…I will cut the ginger and increase the nutmeg in the recipe. Thanks for sharing. This recipe is a keeper.
Made this recipe and it was amazing!!! Ty for sharing
I made these yesterday! They are great! I made them with Gluten Free flour (Bob’s Red Mill, 1-to-1 baking flour). They are a bit crumbly, but super yummy! Thank you!
Wonderful!
This recipe is easy to make. Tastes great.