Who doesn’t love a good snickerdoodle cookie? They’re soft, subtly spiced, and perfectly chewy. If you love snickerdoodle cookies, you are going to love this version of EGGNOG snickerdoodle cookies. I make eggnog snickerdoodles every single holiday season because they truly are the perfect cookie. There’s eggnog in the cookie dough for flavor and before baking, we roll them in a perfectly spiced cinnamon & nutmeg sugar! A must make for holiday cookie boxes.
Table of contents
Jenny’s Tips for Baking Perfect Snickerdoodles
Freshly grated nutmeg is key here! Did you know that pre-ground spices can sit at the grocery store for months on end, slowly losing their flavor? Whole nutmeg lasts forever and a quick grate gives you so much more flavor than the pre-ground stuff.
Don’t overmix your cookies! Once you add the dry ingredients, mix the dough on low just until combined. If you overmix it, you end up with dense and tough cookies.
Cover your cookies as they chill. Did you know that uncovered cookies can pick up odors from the inside of your fridge? Make sure to cover your cookie trays with plastic wrap while they chill. This also keeps your cookie dough from drying out!
Don’t skip the chill! Chill your cookies for the suggested amount of time before baking. Chilling the dough allows the flavor to really shine and keeps the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Use fresh cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is necessary for this recipe. If you’ve never used it before, it is extremely acidic and adds to the leavening. It keeps the cookies from getting too brown, allows them to be fluffy and soft, and breaks down sugar crystals for soft and chewy cookies. If your cream of tartar has been sitting in your baking cabinet for ages, it’s time to replace it!
Helpful Cooking Tools
Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Butter. Opt for high-quality butter for all your holiday baking.
- Sugar. This recipe calls for both granulated and brown sugar.
- Dark rum. Dark rum really brings out the eggnog flavor. I use Myer’s brand. You could skip this ingredient or add 1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring.
- Eggs. An egg and two yolks act as the binder and reinforce the eggnog flavor.
- Dry ingredients. All-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar make these cookies tender and soft.
- Eggnog. A bit of full-fat eggnog stirred into the dough keeps them moist and adds wonderful eggnog flavor.
- Fresh nutmeg. This is a must! Don’t use pre-ground nutmeg–grate whole nutmeg fresh for the best flavor.
- Cinnamon. Snickerdoodles aren’t snickerdoodles without being rolled in cinnamon sugar! I add fresh nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar for a true eggnog flavor.
How to Make Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugars. You really need to let the mixer work here! It takes a full 3-4 minutes of mixing to properly cream the butter and sugar so that it’s fluffy and has some air worked into it.
- Mix in the eggs, rum, and vanilla. After the butter and sugar is very fluffy, you’ll mix in the eggs and yolks with the vanilla and rum until everything is smooth.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Be so careful not to overmix the cookies! Once you add the dry ingredients, run the mixer on the lowest speed so that you don’t overwork the gluten in the flour which will lead to tough cookies.
- Mix in the eggnog. While the mixer is slowly mixing in the dry ingredients, stream in the eggnog. This will also help the flour get totally mixed in.
- Scoop and chill the cookie dough. To really hydrate the cookie dough and keep it from spreading while baking, you need to chill the cookie dough! Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
- Bake the cookies. After the dough has chilled, roll them in the cinnamon-nutmeg sugar and bake! You are looking for the cookies to be puffed, but not browned. Once out of the oven, I bang the cookie sheet down a couple of times to deflate the cookies so that they’re nice and chewy! Let them cool and then enjoy!
More Holiday Cookie Recipes to Try
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gingerbread Cookie Sandwiches
Soft Gingerbread Man Cookies
Slice & Bake Shortbread Cookies
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Cookies:
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark rum, such as Myer's
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg*
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1/3 cup eggnog
Sugar Coating:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions
- *NOTE: It's really important to use freshly grated nutmeg here! It adds great flavor, but the measurements are also keyed to how much less dense it is than pre-ground nutmeg. If you use pre-ground nutmeg, cut the amounts in half.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You may need to pause the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the rum and vanilla and mix for 30 seconds.
- Add the eggs and yolks and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low. Stream in the eggnog while the dry ingredients are mixing.
- Mix until the dough starts to clump together. Using a 2 oz scoop, portion the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat an oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roll the cookie balls in your hands to make them smooth, then in the sugar mixture until well coated and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Give the cookies at least 2-3 inches of space as they will spread a bit (you may need two trays).
- Bake one tray at a time (keeping the other in the fridge) for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are just barely turning golden brown and are puffy in the middle. Once out of the oven, bang the pan down on the counter once or twice to compress the cookies (this makes them chewy!) Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the second tray. Cool slightly before serving.
Storage Instructions
- Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container (once cool) on the counter for up to 3 days. You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough and store it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Just defrost the cookie dough overnight in the fridge and then roll in the spiced sugar before baking.
Nutrition
You might also like...
-
Dessert Gingerbread Cookie Sandwiches
-
Breakfast and Brunch Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaf
-
Dessert Apple Pear Crisp
Rate & Review This Recipe
No comments yet — be the first to rate and review!