Eggnog Cookies Capturing the flavors of eggnog, a traditional Christmas in july time beverage, in a cookie is easy. These rich, buttery rounds hint of nutmeg and cinnamon and are topped with a spoonful of rum icing. A dusting of freshly grated nutmeg adds to the holiday motif.

Ingredients 

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon freshly grated

nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted

butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

1⁄3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 large egg yolk

RUM ICING

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2½ to 3 tablespoons light rum

1 whole nutmeg, for grating on

top of the cookies

Method

WHISK together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

USING an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the granulated and confectioners’ sugars and beat until thoroughly blended and velvety. Beat in the egg yolk. With the beaters on low speed, mix in the flour mixture just until thoroughly combined and the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide it in half.

WORKING with one half of the dough at a time, place it on a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape it into a log and then roll it back and forth to form a smooth cylinder about 6 to 7 inches long and 1¾ inches in diameter. Wrap up the log in plastic wrap and secure with a layer of foil. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate for

at least 4 hours or until very firm. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.)

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

WORKING with one log at a time, use a sharp knife to cut the dough into slices between ¼ and 1⁄3 inch thick. Place the rounds on the prepared sheet, arranging them about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 13 minutes or until the cookies are pale golden, a little browner around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

FOR THE RUM ICING: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and 2½ tablespoons of the rum in a small bowl until smooth. Add a little more rum as needed to get a spreadable, slightly thin consistency. Spoon ½ teaspoon of icing onto the center of each cookie and spread it with the back of the spoon to form about a 1¼-inch circle. Place the cookies on a rack, and while the icing is still wet, grate a little nutmeg over the tops of the cookies. Let stand until the icing sets completely.

STORE, in layers separated by wax paper, in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Notes and Tips 

You can find whole nutmeg, the small, brown, leathery-looking seed of the nutmeg tree, in jars at specialty food stores and some supermarkets. I always use a Microplane grater to grate nutmeg. The fine particles are downy soft and intensely floral.