These eggnog cookies are soft and chewy cookies topped with a homemade eggnog buttercream frosting. An easy and festive cookie that’s perfect for any holiday party!

It’s that time of the year again…time for baking! I love to bring a selection of treats to gatherings, such as eggnog cake, Christmas tree brownies and these amazingly delicious eggnog cookies.

Eggnog cookies topped with frosting and gold sprinkles on a serving plate.

One of my readers sent me this recipe for her eggnog cookies. I was intrigued, because I love the flavor of eggnog, but I never had it in a baked good. Let me just tell you, these cookies shot to the top of my must-make list.

They’re perfectly soft with the most creamy and decadent frosting. The festive sprinkles really make these cookies a show stopper! You’ll be getting a ton of recipe requests when you bring them to your next party. They are one of my favorite Christmas recipes along with peppermint bark cookies, rocky road fudge, chocolate truffles and crock pot candy.

Eggnog Cookies Ingredients

To make this eggnog cookies recipe you will need butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, eggnog, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, flour and sprinkles. For the eggnog frosting make sure you have butter, eggnog, salt and powdered sugar.

Butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl.

How Do You Make Eggnog Cookies?

To make these eggnog cookies, start by beating butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer. Add to the butter mixture eggs, eggnog, and vanilla extract and mix them together. Add dry ingredients, the flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg and mix them in. Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet or cookie sheet, then bake them until the cookies are golden brown. While the cookies bake, make the frosting by beating butter until fluffy then adding eggnog. Finally add powdered sugar and salt to the frosting. Spread the frosting across the cookies after they cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

Tips For The Perfect Eggnog Cookies

  • Coat a tablespoon measure with cooking spray so that the dough doesn’t stick when you portion it out onto the sheet pan. You can also use a cookie scoop.
  • You can make your cookies as big or as small as you like, just adjust the bake time accordingly. A tablespoon sized dollop of dough will produce a cookie that’s about 2 inches in size.
  • The cookies can be made up to one day in advance, then stored loosely covered until you’re ready to serve them.
  • If you use a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to make this recipe.
  • You can use any holiday sprinkles you like – I love these sparkling gold sprinkles, but have also used red and green sprinkles in the past.
  • One of the key ingredients in this cookie is nutmeg. Be sure that your ground nutmeg is fresh. For the very best flavor, I like to grate whole nutmegs to use in the recipe.

Quick Tip

This dough spreads quite a bit, so be sure to leave ample space between your cookies.

Baked eggnog cookies on a sheet pan.

Recipe FAQs

How long do eggnog cookies stay fresh?

Eggnog cookies stay fresh in an airtight container up to 5 days. You can freeze these cookies up to 2 months.

What are eggnog cookies made of?

Eggnog cookies are a traditional cookie mix with flour, brown sugar, baking soda, butter, salt and eggs. They are flavored with eggnog and nutmeg.

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A stack of eggnog cookies with a bite taken out of one.

Flavor Variations

While I love these cookies exactly as written, you can alter the recipe to suit your tastes.

  • Chocolate: Try dipping the cookies halfway in melted milk or white chocolate instead of the buttercream frosting.
  • Spice: For cookies with a more complex flavor profile, you can add 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground cloves to the batter.
  • Glaze: For a different look you can drizzle a simple eggnog glaze over the cookies by mixing together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of eggnog.
  • Rum: Feel free to add a little rum extract for a boozy flavor.

I’m so happy that my reader sent in this recipe because these cookies have now become part of my annual baking traditions. You don’t even have to be an eggnog lover to enjoy these cookies!

More Great Holiday Treats

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Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

5 from 28 votes

Eggnog Cookies

AuthorSara Welch
Eggnog cookies topped with frosting and gold sprinkles on a serving plate.
These eggnog cookies are soft and chewy cookies topped with a homemade eggnog buttercream frosting. An easy and festive cookie that’s perfect for any holiday party!
Time
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Serves 36

Ingredients 

For the cookies

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup eggnog
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 cup eggnog
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with non stick baking mats or parchment paper.
  • Place the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs, eggnog and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.
  • Add the salt, baking soda, nutmeg and flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed until just blended.
  • Spoon tablespoon sized dollops of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. You may need to repeat this process if you have more dough left over.
  • Bake the cookies, one pan at a time, for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Repeat with remaining pan of cookies. 
  • Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack until completely cool.
  • For the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggnog and beat until smooth.
  • Add the powdered sugar and salt, then beat on low speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy. You can add more eggnog, one teaspoon at a time, to reach your desired consistency if needed.
  • Spread a layer of frosting onto each cookie, then top with sprinkles and serve.

Notes

  1. This dough spreads quite a bit, so be sure to leave ample space between your cookies.
  2. Coat a tablespoon measure with cooking spray so that the dough doesn’t stick when you portion it out onto the sheet pan.
  3. You can make your cookies as big or as small as you like, just adjust the bake time accordingly. A tablespoon sized dollop of dough will produce a cookie that’s about 2 inches in size.

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 30mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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5 from 28 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Eggnog is a holiday favorite, and after making your eggnog cake, I had to try these cookies. Wow. So tasty!!!

    1. They’re fine at room temperature for a day but then I’d refrigerate if you’re planning to keep them longer than that!

  2. 5 stars
    Oh, wow!! I will have to make these for my hubby! He loves eggnog ! Love that you can have these a ll year long!

  3. 5 stars
    The perfect cookie to add into the Christmas cookie rotation! These have a great flavor and I love dipping mine halfway in white chocolate.

  4. 5 stars
    Just made this recipe tonight. All I can say is YUM!!! What a great recipe. This is a keeper for Christmasโ€™ cookie baking. Thanks for so many great recipes.

  5. 5 stars
    I love everything about these eggnog cookies!! They will make a perfect addition to the holiday cookie platter!