Eggnog Tea Cookies

I do love the flavor of eggnog and there’s a pretty small window of opportunity when I can make eggnog desserts. This recipe doesn’t use actual eggnog, just the flavors of rum and nutmeg. I was going through my old Christmas cookie magazines and I thought theses sounded good. Trying to mix it up a bit with my Christmas cookie offerings this year, I added them to the list. I’m glad I did!

To break these cookies down, they are a nutmeg butter cookie topped with rum icing. Grating 2 teaspoons of nutmeg on my Microplane grater took a while, but other than that these are simple. I made the dough in advance and then just baked them up when I had a moment. They spread a little while baking, more than I expected, but not too bad. Most of them were picture-perfect and round.

I made these on the same day that I made many, many cookies, and in all honesty, not all of them turned out that well. When it came time to frost these, I was pretty frustrated and didn’t feel much like finishing them up, but I enlisted my husband to help. I made the frosting a little more boozy than the original recipe (which only called for ¼ teaspoon of rum/extract) and I think that made them taste better. You could top these with candied red and green cherries cut to look like holly leaves and berries. I topped mine with miniature candy cane decorations that I had (or mini hockey sticks, as my husband calls them!). These are tender with a great eggnog flavor. These were certainly a winner!

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon light rum

In a small bowl, combine flour, nutmeg, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix until smooth and combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes or until firm to the touch and light brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Make the icing: In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter, milk and light rum. Stir until smooth and then frost the cooled cookies.

Recipe from Cuisine at Home Holiday Cookies