Name: Eggnog Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: About 48 cookies
Ingredients: 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) cold salted butter, cut into cubes; 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 2 teaspoons rum extract

These cut-out cookies from the KitchenSimplicity archive take a plain butter sugar cookie and give it the flavors of a holiday eggnog: warm nutmeg, a little cinnamon and a generous splash of rum extract. There is no eggnog in the dough itself; the spice and extract do the work, so the cookies hold their shape and keep a crisp edge.

Bake them for cookie exchanges, holiday trays or an afternoon of decorating. They are sturdy enough for icing and sprinkles, yet flavorful enough to eat plain with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold eggnog.

Tips

For an extra eggnog note, ice the cooled cookies with a simple glaze of 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar whisked with 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons eggnog and a pinch of nutmeg.
If you use unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon fine salt to the flour mixture.
The dough disks can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months; let them soften slightly before rolling.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Eggnog Sugar Cookies

Prep

30 min

Cook

25 min

Total

1 hr

Yield

About 48 cookies

Ingredients

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) cold salted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons rum extract

Steps

Whisk the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cold butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy and well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and rum extract until smooth.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three parts, scraping the bowl after each addition. Mix just until no dry flour remains; the dough will look crumbly.
Turn the dough out, divide it in half and knead each half briefly on the counter until it holds together in a smooth disk.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll one disk on lightly floured parchment to about 1/4 inch thick, cut out shapes with cookie cutters and arrange them 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets. Reroll the scraps once and repeat with the second disk.
Chill the cut cookies on the sheets in the freezer for 5 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, so they keep their shape.
Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.