Eggnog Cookies — Something Sweet for the Season We’re Still In

Grades: Microbiology A, Cell Biology A, Physics B+, Creative Nonfiction A. Semester GPA: 3.83. Cumulative: 3.87. The Physics B+ is the only imperfection and I refuse to call it imperfection because Physics was honestly earned and honestly B-plushed and the honesty is what matters. The 3.87 cumulative is strong. Strong enough for medical school. Strong enough for the MCAT application. Strong enough for MawMaw Shirley to say "that's more than enough," which she has said before and which I hope she will say again, because "more than enough" from MawMaw Shirley is the doctoral degree I value most.

Winter break. Home. The kitchen. MawMaw Shirley. The trilogy. I have been going to Baker every other day this break — driving the fifteen minutes to the house in Baker that smells like roux and coffee and the particular warmth of a kitchen that has been cooking for fifty years. MawMaw Shirley is eighty-one and the body is making its position known: she sits more, stands less, naps in the afternoon, and the naps are longer than they used to be. She is still cooking. She will always be cooking. But the cooking is slower, the portions smaller, the ambitions reduced from gumbo (four hours) to red beans (two hours) to soup (one hour). The reduction is not defeat. It is adaptation. MawMaw Shirley is adapting the way she has always adapted: with dignity, without complaint, with the practical efficiency of a woman who knows that the body has a timeline and the timeline does not negotiate.

We made soup together this week — not gumbo, not étouffée, just soup. Chicken broth from a carcass I brought from home, vegetables from the fridge, rice added at the end. Simple. Quick. The kind of meal that MawMaw Shirley used to make when she was feeding five people in thirty minutes, the efficiency of love under pressure. She stirred the soup and I sat at her table and watched her stir and the watching was a reversal of every Saturday since I was twelve: she was cooking, I was watching. The step stool was gone. I did not need it. The stool is inside me now, the elevation permanent.

Christmas is coming. The house is ready. The family is gathering. The soup was good.

Soup was the right meal for that afternoon in Baker — unhurried, warm, built from what was already there. But Christmas is coming, and the house will be full, and MawMaw Shirley will be sitting at the center of it, and that calls for something to leave behind on the counter, something people can reach for between conversations. These eggnog cookies are that thing: soft, spiced, simple to make, the kind of sweetness that fills a kitchen the way a good visit fills the time you almost forgot to protect.

Eggnog Cookies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + pinch of nutmeg, for rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
4. Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, then add the eggnog, vanilla extract, and rum extract if using. Mix until smooth. The mixture may look slightly curdled — that’s fine.
5. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
6. Prepare rolling sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a pinch of nutmeg.
7. Portion and roll. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon, roll into balls, and roll each ball in the spiced sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the tops are no longer glossy. Do not overbake — the cookies will firm up as they cool.
9. Cool and serve. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 130 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 55mg