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If you only buy eggnog once a year, you might as well get the most out of it — and these eggnog cookies are exactly how you do that.
That distinct nutmeg-and-vanilla flavor we all associate with the holidays translates beautifully into cookies, giving you all the cozy eggnog flavor without needing to actually love drinking the stuff straight out of a glass (no judgment either way).
This roundup covers five completely different eggnog cookie styles, so there’s something here whether you’re a soft-and-chewy person, a crisp-shortbread person, or someone who just wants a sugar cookie with the best frosting of the season. They’re all great for holiday cookie exchanges, gifting, or just keeping a tin on the counter for the entire month of December.
Pick one, pick all five, or use this as your starting lineup for this year’s holiday baking list — either way, your kitchen is about to smell incredible.
Our Favorite Eggnog Cookies Recipes
Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting
This is the showstopper of the bunch — a soft, slightly spiced sugar cookie topped with a creamy eggnog buttercream frosting. It’s eggnog flavor twice over, and it’s the prettiest one on this list for a holiday cookie tray.
Yields: about 24 cookies | Prep time: 20 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour
Cookie Ingredients
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup eggnog
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 3–4 tbsp eggnog
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cinnamon, for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg, eggnog, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour (this keeps the cookies from spreading too much).
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9–10 minutes, until the edges are just set. Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat butter until smooth, then gradually add powdered sugar, eggnog, and nutmeg until light and spreadable.
- Frost cooled cookies and finish with a light dusting of cinnamon.
💡 QUICK TIP: Don’t skip chilling the dough — eggnog adds extra moisture, and chilled dough is what keeps these from turning into flat, spread-out cookies.
2. Egg Nog Snickerdoodles
Classic snickerdoodles get a holiday makeover here — the same soft, cinnamon-sugar-coated cookie you already love, with eggnog baked right into the dough for a subtle nutmeg warmth underneath the cinnamon.
Yields: about 24 cookies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup eggnog
For Rolling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then mix in the eggnog.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon for rolling.
- Scoop dough into balls, roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 9–10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
💡 PRO TIP: Pull these out of the oven when they still look slightly underdone in the center — they’ll finish setting on the hot pan and stay perfectly soft.
Eggnog Shortbread Cookies Recipe
These are the elegant, crisp, buttery cookies for the holiday cookie tray that needs something a little more refined. Eggnog shortbread has a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture with just a hint of nutmeg and vanilla — perfect alongside coffee or tea.
Yields: about 20 cookies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 14 minutes | Chill time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp eggnog
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth and pale.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and eggnog.
- Whisk together flour, salt, and nutmeg, then gradually mix into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Slice the chilled dough into ¼-inch rounds and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Shortbread should not brown much.
- Cool completely on the pan before moving — shortbread is delicate while warm.
💡 Tip: Slice-and-bake shortbread dough freezes beautifully. Make the log ahead of time, freeze it, and slice off only what you need throughout the season.
Eggnog Crinkle Cookies
These cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat — rolled in powdered sugar before baking, they crack open into a beautiful crinkled top as they bake, with a soft, fudgy-meets-cakey texture underneath and that signature eggnog warmth throughout.
Yields: about 24 cookies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 10 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup eggnog
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, eggnog, and vanilla.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough for at least 1 hour — this dough is sticky and needs the chill time to be workable.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop dough into balls and roll generously in powdered sugar, making sure they’re well coated.
- Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 9–10 minutes, until the cookies have spread and cracked, with the centers still soft.
- Cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
💡 Tip: Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar on top — it helps the crackled effect show up more dramatically once baked.
Eggnog Meltaway Cookies Recipe
I definitely saved one of the best for last! True to their name, these cookies practically dissolve the second they hit your mouth. They’re made with cornstarch in addition to flour, which gives them an incredibly delicate, powdery-soft texture — finished with a simple eggnog glaze on top.
Yields: about 20 cookies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 12 minutes | Chill time: 30 minutes
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Glaze Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp eggnog
- Pinch of nutmeg, for garnish
Instructions
- Cream butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and nutmeg, then gradually mix into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough into small balls (slightly smaller than a tablespoon) and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes — these cookies should stay very pale, not browned.
- Cool completely before glazing.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and eggnog until smooth, then drizzle or dip the cooled cookies in the glaze. Finish with a pinch of nutmeg.
💡 REMEMBER: These cookies are very delicate — let them cool completely on the pan before moving them, or they’re likely to crumble.
Eggnog Cookies: FAQs
Can I freeze eggnog cookies?
Absolutely! Most of these freeze well either as baked cookies or as unbaked dough. Shortbread dough in particular freezes beautifully as a log for slice-and-bake convenience throughout the season.
Does the alcohol-free eggnog work the same in baking?
Yes, regular store-bought eggnog (the non-alcoholic kind found in the dairy aisle) works perfectly for all of these recipes. There’s no need for a spiked version.
Which of these cookies is best for a cookie exchange?
The eggnog sugar cookies with frosting tend to be the biggest hit visually, but the snickerdoodles and shortbread travel and stack the best if you need something sturdy for transport.
Can I make these gluten-free?
A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should work in most of these recipes, though shortbread and meltaways (which rely on a delicate, tender crumb) may need a little extra testing to get the texture right.
Final Thoughts…
Eggnog cookies are one of those holiday treats that feel both nostalgic and a little bit special — that flavor only shows up once a year, so it’s worth making the most of it. Whether you bake one of these or all five, your kitchen (and your cookie tray) is going to be in great shape this December.
Which eggnog cookie are you trying first? Let me know in the comments!
Please note: This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
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