Eggnog Cake Cookies

Eggnog Cake Cookies

Can we talk about pain for a moment?  Pain is what happens when you are, oh say, 39, haven't worked out in about three months and then decide that you are going to finally get back to The Dailey Method class that you haven't been to since you purchased that five class package over the summer when you were feeling motivated.  I am now still feeling pain in muscles I was not even aware existed.  This says two things, 1) I am lazy and deserve this pain and 2) the class is incredibly effective.  I do this because I want to be able to bend over and touch my toes when I am 70 and for reasons I don't fully understand, after I take the class, I am at peace with myself and the world around me.  Considering my anal nature and tendency to overthink and stress about anything and everything, achieving inner peace, even if it is temporary, is an achievement.    



On to baking.  I concocted an eggnog cookie because it's an eggnog time of year.  I am not a fan of eggnog alone but whip it into many a recipe for cookies, cakes, pancakes, or french toast and it tastes delicious and festive.  Seriously, next time you make french toast, put in eggnog instead of milk or cream.  It will change your life.  Or you can make these cookies.


Ingredients:

1 cup room temperature Kerry Gold Irish Butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2/3 cup eggnog
1/2 tsp rum extract
2 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Eggnog Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp eggnog
1/2 cup room temperature Kerry Gold Irish Butter
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp rum extract

Method:

Cream together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.  About 5-8 minutes.

Add eggs and beat until fully incorporated, about another 2 minutes.

Add eggnog, rum extract, and vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together until just incorporated.  Mixture will be more like cake batter.  Cover mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees when you are ready to start baking.

Drop tablespoon sized rounds of the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet about two inches apart.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until they are puffed.

Let cookies stand on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Eggnog icing:

Beat butter for 3 minutes.  Add eggnog and rum extract and beat until incorporated.  Add in the powdered sugar and beat until completely incorporated.  Add more sugar or eggnog as necessary to make the icing a spreadable consistency but not to the point that the icing will drip off the cookie.

Apply icing to cookies and then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  Enough time for the icing to firm up a bit.  Cookies can be stored in a cookie tin with wax paper dividing layers of cookies in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.