Three times now I’ve walked past the eggnog display at the grocery store. The first two times, I convinced myself that it wasn’t eggnog season yet – even for a baking blogger – and the recipe spinning around in my head could wait. Besides, my life is insanely busy right now and there isn’t much time for blogging.
The third time I went past the eggnog, I caved and went back for a carton. I was a little burned-out on pumpkin, apples, and even (gasp!) maple, so maybe it was time to forge ahead and start the Christmas recipes rolling!
So…more cookies. There are never enough good cookie recipes, right? And these are sweet, light little cookies. They turned out exactly as I pictured them on my first try. Did your grandma ever make you cake-like sour cream cookies? Mine did (neener neener) and my whole family loved them. They were a little plain – basically just a sugar cookie with loft – but sugar cookies by definition are a little plain, which is part of their charm. Hers had the magical combination of sour cream and baking soda though, so they rose proudly and were surprisingly light when picked up and aimed at the mouth.
So light. So addictive.
I took Grandma’s recipe and added eggnog, changing the quantities of flour and leavening to keep them from going flat. I used a spiced vanilla eggnog, but this isn’t necessary. If you use regular eggnog, just be a little generous with both the spices and the vanilla and they will turn out great!
I always use a thin glaze to add a little interest. In this case, the cookies have a mild spicy eggnog flavor, so I kept it to a simple vanilla and nutmeg glaze. You may, if you wish, use eggnog instead of water (if they aren’t going to be eaten quickly, you’ll want to refrigerate or freeze them because of the dairy) or………….rum, brandy, or whiskey for a spiked eggnog treat.
Add a handful of raisins if you like – they go very well with the eggnog flavor. Speaking from experience though, (BLEH!) chocolate chips are not a good option. Trust me on this.
| Soft Eggnog Sugar Cookies | Print |
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup eggnog
- ..............
- Glaze:
- ½ cup water (or milk or eggnog, OR replace part of the liquid with rum or whiskey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
- Add vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and eggnog, whisking well.
- Beginning with the sour cream mixture and ending with the flour mixture, add alternately in three separate additions.
- On parchment covered or very lightly greased cookie sheet, place small scoops of cookie dough at least an inch apart.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just slightly golden brown around the bottom edge. Move cookies to a rack to cool completely.
- To make Glaze:
- Combine water (or optional liquids) and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well until smooth. It will be thin. Turn each cooled cookie over and dip the top, shaking off excess. Set on waxed paper to dry.
- Keep these cookies in an airtight container.
;
Whisk together the sour cream and eggnog.
Scoop the dough. (Smooth and shape with a damp finger if you want them perfectly round. Pffft.)
Dip ’em.
These are deceptively ordinary looking. No strong flavor, no added goodies, just a soft, plain cookie. A soft, plain cookie that you can’t stop eating! And now it is officially THE SEASON!!! Falalalalala.