By The second Zaria grabbed that little whisk out of her Christmas box, I knew exactly what we were making together. She’s been watching me in the kitchen since she could pull herself up to the counter, and now that she had her own tools — her size, her set, her kitchen — it had to be something special. These Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies are everything a Christmas kitchen should smell like, and rolling dough balls in cinnamon sugar is exactly the kind of job a three-year-old chef takes very seriously. Carter’s Kitchen was officially open for business.
Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling) | Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup eggnog
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
- For the cinnamon-sugar coating:
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the eggnog, vanilla extract, and rum extract if using. The mixture may look slightly curdled — that’s okay.
- Combine. Reduce mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the cookies from spreading too thin.
- Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the coating sugars and cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Roll and coat. Scoop dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls. Roll each ball between your palms until smooth, then roll generously in the cinnamon-sugar coating to cover completely.
- Bake. Place coated dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
- Cool. 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: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 55mg