Name: Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 1 h 24 min
Yield: 32
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¼ cup (56g) granulated sugar; ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 ¾ cups (398g) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons cream of tartar; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup (210g) granulated sugar; ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon rum extract

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

December 6, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt 1 Comment

A fun twist on the classic cookie these Eggnog Snickerdoodles are sure to be a fun addition to your holiday baking list! Flavored with rum extract and nutmeg this cookies are filled with notes of eggnog and sugar cookies!

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A large stack of eggnog snickerdoodles on a white plate with one eating up against the stack showing off a sugary coating filled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies

I have been making a version of these cookies for years, I include them on every holiday plate and they are always a hit! So after years of messing with the recipe I am finally sharing them!

These are your basic snickerdoodles but with an eggnog twist in the form of rum extract and nutmeg which give the cookies and eggnog flavor but without being overwhelming!

I like including these cookies on my holiday baking list because the dough can be made a full day ahead of time. So that means on cookie baking day all I have to do it roll the dough up, add the spiced sugar to the outside and bake!

If you love eggnog as much as I do try making this Starbucks Eggnog Latte or these Glazed Spiced Eggnog Scones. Or trying pairing these with a glass of Single Serve Hot Chocolate for a cozy evening!

A white plate filled with eggnog snickerdoodles with suagrary outside with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer

This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.

Did you know that cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease of children in the U.S.?

Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $17 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.

Absolutely amazing. If this moves you I urge you to check out Cookies for Kids’ Cancer here and if you are interested in making just a small donation click HERE. Even just learning about the cause can make a big impact.

Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2023, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!

Thank You!

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour – Like most cookie recipes you will start off with flour. Make sure in order to get the proper amount of flour you are either using a kitchen scale or scooping the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon, ensuring to make a mound over the top, tapping the flour into place lightly and then scraping off any mounding flour off of the measuring cup with a spoon.
Cream of Tartar – This is an essential component of snickerdoodle cookies, not only does it help keep the cookies from spreading out it also helps with the flavor, it gives the little ‘sour’ kick that snickerdoodle are known for.
Baking Soda – I use both baking soda and baking powder in this cookie to get the right rise and spread. By splitting the rising power between the two you get an even rise where the cookie isn’t too puffy nor is it to spread out.
Baking Powder – Like noted right above, use both baking powder and baking soda to give the cookies the perfect rise.
Ground Cinnamon – Now we are getting into some of the flavors. The cinnamon is a classic part of both snickerdoodles and eggnog flavors, so of course this can’t be missed.
Ground Nutmeg – For the eggnog twist it wouldn’t be possible without adding some nutmeg flavor! It will be added both to the cookies dough itself but also to the outside of the cookie.
Salt – Did you know adding salt to the cookie not only helps the chemistry of the cookie but it also helps the cookies taste sweeter, that is pretty powerful!
Unsalted Butter – Because we do add salt we will want to make sure that we use unsalted butter here. Also we will want this butter softened to room temperature. It will need to be softened because we will cream it with the sugars.
Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar (regular sugar) will be used from both in the cookie and rolling the snickerdoodle into so that they get that famous sugar and spice outside crunch.
Light Brown Sugar – The brown sugar will be used for the cookies dough, using brown sugar helps add some of the flavors from the molasses that help give the cookies flavor and help keep its softness.
Eggs – For the dough, if possible use room temperature eggs.
Vanilla Extract – A classic in the snickerdoodle cookie.
Rum Extract – And to give the eggnog flavor we will use Rum Extract! This is the secret to the cookies here, Surprisingly you don’t need to add that much either a little will go a long way. This should be fairly easy to find in the baking section of your grocery store.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

All the ingredients needed to make eggnog snickerdoodles laid out on a tabletop.

Instructions

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.

Steps showing mixing all of the dry ingredients in with the flour.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium until creamy, about 3 minutes, ensuring to scrape down the sides if needed. You are looking for a light fluffy looking mixture here once the 3 minutes are up.

Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and rum extract on medium, blend until everything is fully combined.

Steps showing creaming the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer.

Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and mix on slow until just combined and no floury steaks are left. Use a spoon/spatula to scrape the bottom and make sure everything is mixed.

Adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients in a stand mixer to make eggnog snickerdoodles.

Cover and place in fridge at least 60 minutes but up to overnight. If you are leaving in the fridge overnight (or most of the day) I would recommend either wrapping in plastic wrap or adding to a ziptop bag to seal and keep airtight.

Once you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 º F. Add parchment paper to two baking sheets.

In a small bowl whisk together the remaining granulated sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon for rolling.

Scoop dough out, one heaping tablespoon at a time and shape into balls.

Steps showing the rested cookie dough, scooping the dough, and a plate full of cookie dough balls.

The step showing mixing the granulated sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg and a snickerdoodle dough ball in the sugar mixture.

Roll dough balls into mixture to evenly coat. Place 2-inches apart on the parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in the oven 9 – 10 minutes (they should appear slightly under-baked when done). Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. (This recipe might take up to 3 batches.)

Before and after cooking of eggnog snickerdoodles on a baking sheet.

A close up of an eggnog snickerdoodle on a plate showing off the sugary cinnamon and nutmeg outside.

tips, tricks and questions

If resting the dough overnight ensure that the dough is wrapped/placed in an airtight container/bag.

These cookies freeze really well! Just make sure they are in an airtight container!

What is the difference between sugar cookie and snickerdoodle?

Snickerdoodles are technically “sugar cookies”. But the main difference is, traditional plain sugar cookies are often rolled in just white sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. So the biggest difference in the cinnamon (and in this case, nutmeg). Snickerdoodle’s also get their unique flavor from the Cream of Tartar.

A tall stack of eggnog snickerdoodles on a plate with a cookie leaning against the stack.

If you like these Eggnog Snickerdoodles you might like these other recipes:

Yield: 32 cookies

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

A fun holiday twist on this classic cookie, Eggnog Snickerdoodles! These spiced and buttery holiday cookies are flavored with rum extract to make an Eggnog flavored favorite.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 9 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 24 minutes

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups (398g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (210g) granulated sugar
½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon rum extract

For rolling

¼ cup (56g) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium until creamy, about 3 minutes. Slowly mix in eggs, vanilla, and rum extract. Blend until fully combined.
Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer and mix on slow until just combined.
Cover and place in fridge at least 60 minutes but up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 º F. Add parchment paper to two baking sheets.
Scoop dough out, one heaping tablespoon at a time and shape into balls.
In a small bowl whisk together the granulated sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon for rolling. Roll dough balls into mixture to evenly coat. Place 2-inches apart on the parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in the oven 9 - 10 minutes (they should appear slightly under-baked when done). Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

If resting the dough overnight ensure that the dough is wrapped/placed in an airtight container.

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, for all the latest recipes!

Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies

November 30, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 3 Comments

Full of tons of flavor and perfectly soft these Glazed Gingerbread Cookies are a must make during the Christmas season! Perfect for enjoying with the family or for a cookie exchange, this is a recipe you will save to make year after year!

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Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies arranged out on a wire cooling rack with a bowl and brush full of glaze.

Soft Gingerbread Man Recipe

Gingerbread is my favorite holiday flavor, just search ‘Gingerbread’ on this site and you will see that! I have a Skinny Gingerbread Tea Latte, Homemade Gingerbread Spice, Homemade Gingerbread Marshmallows, Gingerbread Simple Syrup, and even Gingerbread Ice Cream. So I thought this year for the Christmas season I would finally share the gingerbread cookies I have been making for my family for years!

These Glazed Gingerbread Cookies to me are the epitome of what I gingerbread man should be. These cookies are tender and soft on the inside filled with a ton of flavor from all the spices added, and the glaze on the outside doesn’t just look nice it give the cookies this little bit of a crunchy coating when you bite in. I am literally drooling…

A hand holding a single glazed gingerbread man.

I would not call this gingerbread recipe difficult but I will admit it does, like most cookie recipes have quite a few steps so it does end up taking some time, but in batches! For example you will want to make the dough the day before you are actually ready to bake so it can chill and rest in the fridge overnight. Then it can take some time to roll out and cut that many cookies. The good news is that they bake fast! And then of course glazing the cookies, which really isn’t that hard but again another step.

I actually like this recipe when doing a cookies baking party/making a day out of baking cookies because of the fact that the dough is made the night before. It makes it easier when the time comes to just roll and bake these ones!

A pile of glazed gingerbread men on a wire cooling rack.

So let’s take a look at the supplies you will need to get these made!

Supplies for Cookies

A lot of typical supplies are needed for these gingerbread cookies as well as some specific baking supplies:

standard kitchen accessories like mixing bowls, measure cups & spoons, spatula
stand mixer, or in a pinch an electric hand mixer
plastic wrap
parchment paper
rolling pin
cookie cutters
baking trays
wire racks
pastry brush

A glazed gingerbread cookie tilted up leaning against a stack of more cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Ingredients for Gingerbread

This is one of those recipes where the list looks so long but in reality a lot of it is just spices! You’ll need:

all-purpose flour
cocoa powder
ground ginger
ground cloves
ground cinnamon
baking soda
kosher salt
unsalted butter, room temperature
granulated sugar
egg
molasses (not blackstrap)
light corn syrup
powdered/confectioners sugar
vanilla extract

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients need to make soft glazed gingerbread cookies.

Instructions for Soft Gingerbread Man Recipe

Make the Dough the Night Before

In a medium sized bowl measure out and mix together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

A collage showing the dry ingredients being added and mixed in a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer if needed) with the paddle attachment beat the butter 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat an additional 2-3 minutes scraping down the sides when needed. Add the egg to the butter and sugar, beat until fully incorporated and scrape down the sides. Lastly add the molasses and corn syrup, beat until combined remembering to again scrape down the sides of the bowl.

A collage showing the steps of beating the butter, sugar, and egg.

A collage showing the egg, molasses, and corn syrup being beat into the dough.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches mixing on low letting the dry ingredients get incorporated between each batch. Mix until fully incorporated and no streaks of flour remain, the dough should be soft and somewhat crumbly looking until you roll it together.

A collage showing the steps of adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Roll the dough out into a ball/brick shape with floured hands then flatten the ball into a rectangle. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Gingerbread Cookie Dough wrapped tight in plastic wrap.

Baking the Cookies

Remove the dough from the fridge about 10 minutes before you are ready to roll it out. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking trays with parchment paper.

To roll out cookies sprinkle flour over a clean work surface and rolling pin. Lightly roll dough just shy of ½ inch (or around 1 cm). Use cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the baking tray. Reroll the dough when needed and continue to cut out more cookies until all the dough is used (no need to chill inbetween*).

*Although you do not need to chill in between batches I will note that the dough can be really hard to work with if it starts to get to warm and works best when still slightly cool. So if you aren’t a quick worker and you are afraid of the dough getting warm, I would recommend doing half of the dough at a time and keeping the second half in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I made the mistake of working with the dough next to our running wood burning stove where it was hot and the dough practically melted in my hands, if this happens just return the dough to the fridge to cool down again.

A collage showing the cookies being rolled and cutout of the dough.

Now the really fun part! Press designs into the cookies if desired like eyes, buttons, and smiles… with a clean lollipop stick or similar sized skewer. Kids LOVE helping at this stage, I usually let my kids go crazy with a batch of them, the gingerbread end up with all sorts of designs, which always end up looking pretty cool when glazed!

Collage showing before the cookies go into the oven and after they are cooked.

When done pressing in the designs transfer to the oven and bake cookies 7-12 minutes depending on the size. My cookie cutter is 3 ½ inches and takes 7 minutes, any cookie cutter larger than that you will want to keep in a few more minutes.

For the best result you will want to take the cookies out of the oven before the sides and edges start to darken and look hard. A good way to tell if it is done is to give the center of one of the cookies a little tap, if the cookie bounces back into place or close to back in place it is done, if it is still gooey it needs more time.

When cookies are done transfer to a wire cooling rack.

To Glaze

Last part which is technically optional (as well as adding eyes and buttons with the lollipop stick). You could leave these plain, you could even decorate them in the more traditional sense like with frosting and candy if you wish!

But if you are using these for a cookie exchange or to give out I love the glaze addition! I swear it makes these cookies ‘fancy’.

So glazing these cookies isn’t necessary but I think it definitely sets them apart! Plus it is pretty easy:

While cookies are baking (or shortly after) make the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and water until smooth.

When cookies are done let cool at least 10 minutes (longer is okay) with a pastry brush gently glaze the top of each cookie being sure to cover and fill the designs you made. Let the cookies cool and the glaze harden before storing.

A wire cooling rack full of freshly glazed gingerbread cookies showing off the face and button designs.

Glazed Gingerbread Cookies arranged on a wire cooling rack with a bowl full of glaze.

Close up of a stack of glazed gingerbread men on a wire rack.

That is it! Have an awesome holiday season! Merry Christmas!

tips, tricks and questions

Resting is a crucial part of this recipe, make sure you don’t skip that part.

Do I have to glaze these gingerbread cookies?

No you do not have to glaze the cookies! You can leave them as is or frost them.

You might enjoy some of my other holiday favorites:

Yield: 44 cookies

Glazed Gingerbread Cookies

A large batch of soft and flavorful gingerbread cookies, complete with a glaze. These cookies will impress everyone from the people at the cookie exchange to santa himself!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Rest Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 47 minutes