These eggnog cookies are a must-make for the holiday season! They’re soft and chewy with a delicious glaze and just the right amount of spice and eggnog flavor.

This post contains affiliate links. Read the disclosure policy.

Baked eggnog cookies with eggnog glaze arranged on a wire cooling rack.

About Eggnog Cookies

Do you know what the best thing about Christmas is?

The cookies, of course! And these eggnog cookies are a must-make for the holiday season that will not disappoint.

Eggnog Cookies are sweet, but not too sweet. They’re soft and chewy with a delicious glaze (that’s also totally optional). And, they have a light eggnog flavor with just the right amount of spice that’ll be sure to put you in the Christmas spirit!

Trust me, these are the types of cookies that’ll make your holiday that much more delicious.

Do you need to chill the dough?

Great news here, guys! Because there is no butter in this recipe, you do not need to chill the cookie dough before baking.

Curious why you may (or may not) need to chill dough for cookies? It has a lot to do with fat content, a big portion of which comes from the butter. You can read more about how it all works here: To Chill or not to Chill.

Top down view of a glazed eggnog cookie on a wire cooking rack with a bite taken out.

Can you use homemade eggnog?

Yes, you certainly can! However, I would recommend using eggnog where the eggs have already been tempered (cooked) as opposed to traditional eggnog (where the eggs are not cooked). This will avoid any issues with the extra alcohol content that tends to be in traditional eggnog and any food safety concerns there could be with the raw eggs in the frosting.

Can you use low fat eggnog?

From my testing, you should not use low-fat eggnog with this recipe. Low-fat eggnog lead to the cookies spreading more while baking, which resulted in a flatter, thinner cookie. The full-fat eggnog will give you cookies that are thick and chewy.

How long do eggnog cookies last?

When stored in a sealed container, eggnog cookies should last up to three days at room temperature. If stored in the refrigerator, they could last up to five days.

Stacks of eggnog cookies with a single eggnog cookie facing the camera with a bite taken out, showing the texture inside.

Can you freeze Eggnog cookies?

Yes, you totally can!

If you’d like to always have a batch of these cookies on hand, the easiest way is to freeze them for later. There are two ways you can do this.

To freeze the raw dough: 

  • Mix all ingredients, then scoop out about one tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball (the same way you would before baking).
  • Place cookie dough balls on a tray and freeze for at least two hours or until outside is no longer tacky. Once firm, transfer to a freezer bag or a storage container with a sealable lid.
  • Cookie dough can be stored for up to six months. When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake like normal.

To freeze the baked cookies:

  • Bake and allow to cool completely.
  • Store cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag or storage container. If you need to stack the cookies, separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper.
  • Baked cookies and be stored for up to three months.

Notes & tips for eggnog cookies

  • If you’re doing a lot of baking, I highly recommend having some silicone baking mats on hand. Baking cookies takes enough time without having to cut or measure parchment paper. Or if you prefer using parchment paper, you can try using pre-cut parchment paper sheets instead.
  • Plus, some quality baking sheets are a must for a cookie baking extravaganza!
  • For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This recipe would be difficult to make by hand with a whisk.
Holding an eggnog cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Other great cookie recipes

More delicious recipes with eggnog

How to make eggnog cookies

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – Kick things off by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set this bowl aside for now.

Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), cream together the butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until fluffy.

Step 3 – Drop mixer speed to low and blend in the egg, eggnog, and the vanilla and rum extracts.

Step 4 – Add the dry ingredients to the batter, then mix until a firm dough forms.

Step 5 – Add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop to scoop up some dough, roll it into a ball, then coat it in the sugar. Place the prepared cookie ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this step until all the dough has been used.

Step 6 – Bake!

Step 7 – While the cookies cool, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, eggnog, nutmeg, and cinnamon until smooth.

Step 8 – Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies as desired.

Step 9 – Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Details

Baked eggnog cookies with eggnog glaze arranged on a wire cooling rack.
5 from 1 vote

Eggnog Cookies

20 minutes prep + 10 minutes cook
333 kcal
Yields: 12 cookies
These eggnog cookies are a must-make for the holiday season! They're soft and chewy with a delicious glaze and just the right amount of spice and eggnog flavor.

Ingredients 

Eggnog Cookies
Eggnog Icing

Instructions

For the Eggnog Cookies
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set bowl aside.
    2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), cream together the butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
    3/4 cup salted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • Drop mixer speed to low and mix in the egg, eggnog, vanilla extract, and rum extract until incorporated and smooth, about 2-4 minutes.
    1 medium egg, 1/4 cup eggnog, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
  • Keeping speed on low, quickly scoop in the dry ingredients, adding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup at a time. Once added, continue to mix until dry ingredients first appear to be incorporated; be careful not to overmix.
  • Add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a small bowl. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out about 1-2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into a ball (about 1 inch wide) then toss the cookie ball in the bowl of sugar, covering the outside. Place finished cookie ball on prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all dough is used, placing cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
  • Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the top of the cookie begins to crinkle and the bottom sides turn a light golden brown.
  • Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Eggnog Icing
  • While cookies cool, add powdered sugar, eggnog, nutmeg, and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Whisk until consistency is smooth with no clumps.
    1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon eggnog, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • If mixture is too thick, add up to 1 tablespoon more eggnog. If mixture is too thin, add up to 1/4 cup more powdered sugar.
Putting it All Together
  • Once cooled, drizzle glaze on top of cookies and garnish more sugar, cinnamon, or nutmeg.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 391IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

Author: Chrisy