"Naschen Kekse" — Nibbling Cookies

The Season’s Greetings to you, Readers!

I’ve returned from the great Pacific Northwest’s Skagit Valley, just in time for Vancouver snow. That creamy white coating over my garden plateaus reminds me of frosted cookies.

If you’ve surfed through my older blogposts, you’ve likely found a couple that also share cookie recipes, such as Thimble Cookies and Maple Yo-Yos. I do get into baking cookies, as much as I love being immersed in writing. So, what better time to bake Frosted Eggnog Cookies than during the winter solstice holidays?

Whatever your personal observations during December and early January, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy making and eating cookies, right? And this is the one time of year you can find ready-made eggnog in most grocery dairy cases. I’m tellin’ ya, even if you don’t normally like drinking nog, you’ll probably have no trouble noshing eggnog cookies; I’m not a nog fan, but I can scarf down these cookies, no problem. What’s better than nibbling cookies and sipping hot tea, while you’re writing a poem or your next chapter?

Eggnog Cookies, Frosted

From the kitchen of Eve Hanninen

Makes 36 Cookies

Cookies:

¾ cup soft butter

1¼ cup sugar

2 egg yolks

½ cup eggnog

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (may use nutmeg)

Buttercream frosting:

scant ¼ cup soft butter

3 cups icing sugar

¼ cup eggnog

cinnamon & sugar mix for garnish, optional

For cookies:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in yolks and eggnog. Gradually add vanilla, a little at a time, until just combined. Mix remaining dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir into wet mixture until all flour is incorporated. Chill dough for 30-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Drop dough in rounded teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheets. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting:

In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add icing/powdered sugar, a little at a time. Drizzle in eggnog as needed, until you reach desired consistency. Spread frosting onto the center of cookies, leaving a ½” rim. Sprinkle tops with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (1 part cinnamon to 4 parts sugar). May use just cinnamon, if desired.

Until next week, munch munch mumphfumphf yum!

#cookies #holidays #seasonal #reducingstress #recipe #interlude