Eggnog Snickerdoodles with Rum Glaze
These soft and thick eggnog snickerdoodles are bursting with eggnog flavor and drizzled with rum glaze. The perfect Christmas cookie!
Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the whole year. This festive day has been the same for as long as I can remember. My parent’s annual Christmas Eve open house is filled with family and friends, my dad’s epic baked ziti and meatballs, Phil Spector’s Christmas album blasting, wine (and more than a little tequila) and, of course, eggnog. There’s no other day that makes me feel this warm and nostalgic.
This week I’ve been bursting with holiday spirit, so I decided to bake some eggnog cookies. To make them extra special, I whipped up some easy rum glaze and drizzled away. Instant Christmas eggnog happiness. And as a bonus, it reminds me of Clark Griswold and Eddie (just me?).
Flavoring the Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Let’s talk about flavor. I’ve seen many recipes out there for eggnog-flavored treats and some of them require you to use the real stuff. Turns out, it’s very simple to recreate that distinct eggnog flavor. And you don’t need actual eggnog to accomplish it! All it takes is a little bit of rum extract and nutmeg. It seems too simple, but you’ll be surprised how big of a punch those two ingredients carry. It’s like magic.
Snickerdoodles vs. Sugar Cookies
There is one ingredient that makes the difference between standard sugar cookies and snickerdoodles: cream of tartar. Don’t substitute cream of tartar! This is what gives the cookies the characteristic tang, chewiness and cracked tops. If you leave it out, you’re left with an average sugar cookie.
The Key to Soft Cookies
To keep these cookies super soft, make sure you remove them from the oven just as they start to wrinkle and are still pretty pale in color. Taking them out before they turn golden brown will ensure they remain soft and puffy once cooled!
Eggnog Snickerdoodles with Rum Glaze
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Cookies:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste optional
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
Rum Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 tsp rum extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2-4 tbsp heavy cream
- Sprinkling of nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line baking pans with parchment paper.
- To make topping, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until creamy and fluffy.
- Add the egg, yolk, rum extract and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Scoop dough into 2 tbsp balls and roll each in the cinnamon-sugar topping.
- Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges begin to wrinkle and the cookies are still fairly pale on top. Use the back of a spatula to gently flatten the cookies while they're still hot. Let cookies set on the pans for 10 minutes before tranferring to a cooling rack.
- Make the rum glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, rum extract, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Add the heavy cream a tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition until you reach desired consistency.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon to drizzle with the rum glaze. Feel free to add a sprinkling of nutmeg.