Eggnog Cookies

It's hard to beat eggnog as one of the signature tastes of the holidays. It seems every year I crave at least one glass of the stuff in order to make my Christmas complete.

This recipe comes from the Mrs Fields Cookie Book. It's a great collection of cookie recipes that, according to Mrs Fields, have been tested out and selected by her kids. I don't know if that's actually true or just a creative marketing strategy by a multi-million dollar corporation. (Debbi Fields is one of the most successful female entrepreneurs with a net worth of about $450 million.) Regardless, these cookies are pretty darn good.

The origins, etymology, and the ingredients used to make the original eggnog drink are debated. Eggnog may have originated in East Anglia, England; or it may have simply developed from posset, a medieval European beverage made with hot milk.The "nog" part of its name may stem from the word noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol. However, the British drink was also called an Egg Flip (from the practice of "flipping" (rapidly pouring) the mixture between two pitchers to mix it).

-Wikipedia

FAIR WARNING: There is no conceivable way that these cookies are healthy. It uses a ton of butter and sugar.  But hey: they're cookies. What do you expect? If anyone has any suggestions for making this healthier, lay it on me.

I recommend having one, enjoying its wonderful taste and then make sure to get them out of the house as fast as possible. Gift them to your friends. Make them for your co-workers. Just dont eat them all, or you'll be sorry.



INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp nutmeg (for dusting)




First, preheat the oven to 300º.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and butter with an electric mixer to form a grainy paste. 
This is known as "creaming," but the result is anything but creamy. It's more like buttery sand.

Delicious, buttery sand. 

Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth.

Smooth enough.

Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed just until combined. Don't overmix.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.

Dust nutmeg lightly over the top.

Bake for aprox. 25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to a cool, flat surface. 

And there you have it: delicious, but ridiculously unhealthy eggnog cookies.

They have a great eggnog aroma and the nutmeg gives it a distinctive taste.

Enjoy!