Destination Post: Eggnog Cookies

I love eggnog. I mean LOVE eggnog. As in, drink-it-straight-out-of-the-carton love eggnog. As such, I love all things eggnog-flavored. Like my eggnog cream pie ( /shameless self-promotion). And I'm always looking for new things to put eggnog in. Conveniently enough, at the school where I work, we had a TON of eggnog left over from a canceled holiday party. And the dessert-of-the-week was cookies. Now, my mom has a nutmeg cookie recipe that I've always liked. It's awesome. And then I got to thinking...I like nutmeg on top of eggnog. And then I remembered that the recipe calls for some milk...that could easily be substituted with eggnog. So, I made eggnog cookies. And they were every bit as heavenly as I expected. I'm not a big cookie person, generally, but put eggnog in them, and I'm there! These have a subtle eggnog taste, enhanced by the nutmeg in the cookies. They're a cakey cookie, so be forewarned, if that's not your thing (it's not usually mine, but I like these in spite of that). And, to top it off, there's an eggnog glaze on top. Because, how perfect is that? I'm thinking that next time, I'll spike either the icing or the cookie (or maybe both!) with rum or whiskey.... Couldn't do that for the kiddos, but it would be a great touch for an adult version!


Eggnog Cookies (adapted from my mom's recipe)

Cookies

• 1/2 c. vegetable shortening
• 1/2 c. butter
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 Tbl. vanilla extract
• 4 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 c. eggnog
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. white vinegar

Cream together the shortening, butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Note: if you have a vendetta against shortening or are just plain out of it, feel free to substitute all butter. Next, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in two additions, alternating with the eggnog. OVER THE BOWL, stir the baking soda into the vinegar. This is the fun part--it will foam up like a science experiment. Immediately stir it into the cookie batter. Chill the batter overnight. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Cool, then frost with eggnog icing (listed below).

Icing

• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 6 Tbl. eggnog

Stir until well-combined, varying the amount of eggnog as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency. And, if you have to frost 700 of them, don't worry about whether the icing looks perfect, even for the ones you're taking a picture of.