Eggnog Snickerdoodles

These eggnog snickerdoodles have eggnog in the dough, cinnamon and nutmeg in the sugar coating, and an extra egg yolk to help keep the centers soft. I add an optional eggnog glaze when I want even more eggnog flavor on top.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles with Eggnog Glaze

My youngest son loved snickerdoodles enough that I made an unreasonable number of them while he was growing up. Thick ones, thin ones, extra cinnamon, less cinnamon, cookies I pulled too early and cookies I definitely left in too long. If there was something to change about a snickerdoodle, there was a pretty good chance I tried it.

They were never really a Christmas cookie at our house either. They were just Jon’s cookie, which meant I made them whenever he wanted them. That’s probably why I’m particular about what gets called a snickerdoodle now. I still want the cream of tartar, the cinnamon-sugar outside, the crackled top and the soft center. Otherwise, I’ve wandered into another cookie entirely.

For this rendition, I wanted enough eggnog to make a difference without adding so much liquid that I had to redesign everything around it. Three tablespoons turned out to be plenty, especially with nutmeg in both the dough and the coating. I also use an extra egg yolk, and if I want to take the eggnog part further, there’s a very simple eggnog glaze for the top.

They still taste like snickerdoodles first. They just happen to have gotten into the eggnog.

What Makes This Recipe Different

• I put the eggnog directly into the cookie dough rather than relying on an eggnog glaze to give the cookies their name. Three tablespoons gives me the flavor I want without adding enough extra liquid to make the cookies spread all over the baking sheet. It’s a win-win.
• There’s one whole egg and an additional yolk in the dough. The extra yolk adds fat without bringing in as much additional water as another whole egg would, which helps keep the centers tender while accommodating the eggnog.
• I kept the cream of tartar because I still wanted these to act like snickerdoodles. It gives them that slight tang and works with the baking soda while the cookies bake, rather than turning this into an eggnog sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon.
• Nutmeg goes into the dough and into the cinnamon-sugar coating, which is where the eggnog connection becomes much more obvious. The cinnamon is still there because this is a snickerdoodle, but the extra nutmeg changes what you smell and taste when you bite into one. It’s the same thing that happens with my snickerdoodle ice cream and my snickerdoodle apple cobbler. The nutmeg stands out.
• I bake these at 400°F, which is hotter than a lot of cookie recipes. The outside sets fast while the centers are still soft, so I can pull them when the edges are done and the middle still looks a little underbaked.
• The glaze is completely optional. When I use it, I make it with confectioners’ sugar and eggnog, so it adds another layer of eggnog after the cookies have cooled without changing the cookie dough itself.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – Let it soften enough that you can press into it easily, but it shouldn’t look greasy or partially melted. Butter that gets too warm is one of the fastest ways to end up with cookies that spread farther than you wanted.
• Granulated sugar – This goes into the cookie dough and is also used for the cinnamon-nutmeg coating.
• Egg and egg yolk – I use one whole egg plus another yolk. The yolk adds richness and helps keep the centers tender without adding the extra water that comes with another whole egg.
• Eggnog – This goes directly into the dough, and you’ll need more if you make the optional glaze. Use regular dairy eggnog.
• Vanilla extract – Does what it always does.
• Rum extract – This is optional, but I like a small amount because it takes the eggnog flavor a further into holiday territory without adding more liquid to the dough.
• All-purpose flour – If you aren’t weighing it, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it rather than scooping directly from the bag.
• Cream of tartar – This is one of the things that makes a snickerdoodle taste like a snickerdoodle. It adds the characteristic tang and works with the baking soda in the dough.
• Baking soda – This works with the cream of tartar and gives the cookies their rise and spread in the oven.
• Fine sea salt – A half teaspoon is enough for this amount of dough.
• Ground nutmeg – Nutmeg goes into both the cookie dough and the coating because I want the eggnog connection to come through before the glaze ever gets involved.
• Ground cinnamon – There’s some in the dough and more in the coating, where it gives you the cinnamon-sugar outside you expect from a snickerdoodle.
• Confectioners’ sugar – You only need this if you’re making the glaze. It gets whisked with eggnog and drizzled over the cookies after they are completely cool.

How to Make Eggnog Snickerdoodles

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (get the oven and baking sheets ready)
  Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure the oven is fully heated before the first tray goes in because the higher initial heat is part of how these cookies get set around the edges while the centers remain soft.
• Step Two (cream the butter and sugar)
  Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is lighter in color and looks well aerated. Scrape down the bowl so there isn’t a layer of butter hiding under everything else.
• Step Three (add the eggnog and eggs)
  Add the whole egg, extra yolk, vanilla, rum extract if you’re using it, and the eggnog. Mix until everything is combined, scraping down the bowl again as needed. It may look softer than a standard snickerdoodle base at this point because of the eggnog, which is why I don’t keep adding more of it just because I like eggnog.
• Step Four (add the dry ingredients)
  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture with the mixer running on low and stop once there are no dry pockets of flour left. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but it should still hold together when you scoop it.
• Step Five (make the cinnamon-nutmeg sugar)
  Stir the granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon portions, roll each one into a ball and coat it all over in the sugar mixture.
• Step Six (bake the cookies)
  Arrange the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch the cookies more than the timer. The edges should look set and the tops should be crackled, but the centers can still look soft when you take them out. If they look completely done while they’re still in the oven, you’ve probably gone too far.
• Step Seven (cool the cookies)
  Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after they come out of the oven, then transfer them to a wire rack. That short time on the hot pan lets the centers finish without another couple of minutes in the oven drying them out.
• Step Eight (add the eggnog glaze)
  If you’re using the glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and eggnog together until smooth and drizzle it over completely cooled cookies. Let the glaze set before stacking or storing them.

Recipe Tips

• Pay attention to your butter before anything else. It should be soft enough to cream easily, but still look like butter, not something halfway to melted. If it’s greasy around the edges, it has gone farther than I want for these cookies.
• The dough is supposed to be slightly sticky. Don’t start adding flour just because it doesn’t feel like a stiff sugar-cookie dough. You should still be able to scoop and roll it without having half the batch stuck to your hands.
• If your kitchen is warm or the dough becomes difficult to roll, refrigerate it for about 20 to 30 minutes. You aren’t required to chill this dough, but temperature always gets a vote when butter is involved.
• Keep the cookies the same size so they finish at roughly the same time. A 2-tablespoon cookie scoop makes this much easier.
• The centers should still look soft when the cookies come out of the oven. They continue cooking on the baking sheet, and waiting until the middle looks completely baked is how you lose the softer center.
• If you glaze them, wait until they are completely cool. Eggnog glaze on a warm cookie becomes a disappearing act.

Storage & Making Ahead

• Keep baked eggnog snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. I would let the glaze set completely before stacking the cookies, and if you’re putting several layers into a container, parchment between them keeps things neater.
• The cookie dough can also be portioned and frozen. Roll the dough into balls, coat them in the cinnamon-nutmeg sugar and freeze them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer container or bag for up to 3 months. Bake them from frozen and expect them to need another minute or two.
• Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. I prefer freezing them without the glaze and adding it after they’ve thawed, mostly because the tops look better that way.
• For holiday gifting, you can bake these the day before you plan to give them away. They travel well once they are completely cool and the glaze, if you used it, has set.

FAQs

• Do eggnog snickerdoodles actually taste like eggnog?
  Yes, but they still taste like snickerdoodles first. The eggnog is in the dough and the nutmeg reinforces it, while the optional glaze makes the eggnog flavor more obvious if you want more.
• Do I need to use the rum extract?
  No. Leave it out if you don’t have it or don’t like it. The eggnog and nutmeg are already doing enough, so the cookies don’t depend on the rum extract.
• Why do snickerdoodles need cream of tartar?
  Cream of tartar provides acidity, gives snickerdoodles some of their characteristic tang and reacts with the baking soda during baking. If you leave it out, you change both the flavor and the way the dough acts.
• Why are these baked at 400°F?
  The hotter oven helps set the outside of the cookies quickly while the centers are still soft. That’s why I pay more attention to set edges and crackled tops than to whether the middle looks completely baked.
• Do I have to make the eggnog glaze?
  No. I like them both ways. Without the glaze, you get more of the cinnamon-nutmeg sugar coating; with it, the eggnog part of the cookie becomes more obvious.
• Why did my eggnog snickerdoodles spread too much?
  Start with the butter and dough temperature. Butter that was too warm or dough that heated up while you were working with it can cause more spreading. Make sure your oven has also reached the full 400°F before baking.
• Can I chill the dough overnight?
  Yes. Cover the dough well and refrigerate it, then let it sit out long enough that you can scoop and roll it. You don’t need to bring it completely to room temperature.
• How do I know when the cookies are done?
  Look for crackled tops and edges that have set while the centers still look soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after baking and they’ll finish there.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

• You can know something by heart and still find another way to make it.
• There are people you cook for so often that their favorite eventually becomes part of your own history.
• Repetition is different when you chose it because somebody you loved kept asking.
• Knowing what someone wants is its own kind of intimacy.
• There are things you learn because you were interested, and others things you know because somebody was important enough to make you interested.
• You don’t always notice a tradition being made while you’re making it.
• Sometimes you perfect something because you were asked for it often enough.
• A familiar thing does not need to become something different to become new again.
• There are recipes you remember because they were extraordinary, and others because of how many ordinary days they occupied.
• Eventually the thing you made for somebody else becomes part of the way you remember them.

More Ways to Use the Eggnog in the Refrigerator

• Eggnog Bread – Eggnog, nutmeg, cinnamon.
• Chai Eggnog – Homemade eggnog steeped with chai spices.
• Overnight Panettone Eggnog French Toast Casserole – Panettone soaked overnight with eggnog and baked for breakfast.
• Eggnog Banana Bread Muffins – Eggnog and holiday spices.
• No-Bake Eggnog Cream Pie – Eggnog, cream cheese, whipped cream.

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Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Eggnog Snickerdoodles with Eggnog Glaze

Eggnog Snickerdoodles are soft-centered, spiced cookies with eggnog baked directly into the dough. Nutmeg and cinnamon are present, the centers stay tender, and the classic snickerdoodle crackle holds everything together.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Cooling:10 minutes mins

Total Time28 minutes mins

Course: Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: eggnog snickerdoodle cookies, eggnog snickerdoodles, holiday snickerdoodles, M&M Christmas Cookies, snickerdoodle eggnog cookies

Servings: 34 cookies

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• Stand Mixer Creams butter and sugar without overworking the dough.
• mixing bowls One for dry ingredients, one for coating.
• whisk Distributes spices and leavening evenly through the flour.
• medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp / 30 ml) Keeps portions consistent so cookies bake evenly.
• cooling rack Allows air circulation so the cookies set without steaming.
• kitchen scale (recommended) Improves consistency, especially with flour and sugar.
• baking sheet lined with parchment. Heavy sheets prevent excess spreading and browning.

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter softened
• 1½ cups (330 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temp
• 1 egg yolk room temp
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) rum extract (optional)
• 3 tbsps (45 ml) eggnog
• 2¾ cups (374 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps (6 g) cream of tartar
• 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt or table salt
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• ¼ cup (55 g) granulated sugar
• 1½ tsps (4 g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg

Eggnog Glaze (optional):

• ½ cup (60 g) confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) eggnog

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using parchment helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents excess browning on the bottoms.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. The mixture should look pale and aerated, which helps create a tender cookie structure.
  1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1½ cups (330 g) granulated sugar
• Next, add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, rum extract, and eggnog. Mix until smooth and fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
  1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) rum extract, 3 tbsps (45 ml) eggnog
• Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon. Whisking thoroughly distributes the leavening and spices evenly throughout the dough.
  2¾ cups (374 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsps (6 g) cream of tartar, 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda, ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt, ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground cinnamon
• With the mixer set to low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky but cohesive. Overmixing at this stage can lead to dense cookies.
• To prepare the coating, combine the granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.
  ¼ cup (55 g) granulated sugar, 1½ tsps (4 g) ground cinnamon, ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
• Using a cookie scoop or measuring spoon, portion the dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls (about 30 ml). Roll each portion gently between your hands to form a smooth ball, then roll thoroughly in the sugar-spice mixture until fully coated.
• Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through if your oven has hot spots. The cookies are ready when the edges are set and the tops are crackled, while the centers still look slightly soft. Avoid overbaking, as the cookies will continue to set as they cool.
• Once baked, allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This short rest helps the cookies firm up without drying out.
• If using the optional glaze, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and eggnog together in a small bowl until smooth and pourable. Once the cookies are fully cooled, drizzle the glaze lightly over the tops and let it set before serving or storing.
  ½ cup (60 g) confectioners' sugar, 1 tbsp (15 ml) eggnog

Notes

• Butter should be soft but not melting.
• Dough is meant to feel slightly sticky.
• Pull cookies out of the oven while centers still look soft.
• Chill dough briefly if your kitchen runs warm.
• Glaze only once cookies are fully cool.

 

 

If you’re making these eggnog snickerdoodles, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Eggnog Snickerdoodles with Eggnog Glaze

Amount Per Serving (33 g)

Calories 165 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 32mg11%

Sodium 115mg5%

Potassium 45mg1%

Carbohydrates 21g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 260IU5%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you made these Eggnog Snickerdoodles? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

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