Two Frys: Eggnog Christmas Cookies

Eggnog Christmas Cookies

Merry Christmas everyone! 2020 was a year like no other and I am glad it is almost over. We stayed home due to COVID-19 and did not travel to Northern California as we did last year. I hope 2021 is a better year and this virus goes away. I really want to travel again and am so tired of wearing a mask everywhere and my glasses getting all fogged up. I just want some normalcy back. Enough of COVID talk. I love eggnog and made eggnog as my flavor for Christmas cut out cookies this year, and they taste great. The cookies are chewy and have a balanced and delightful flavor from the vanilla sugar, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and eggnog.

Yield: 3 Dozen Cookies (Depending on cutter size and thickness of cookie)

Eggnog Christmas Cookies

Eggnog Christmas Cookies

Ingredients
6 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups Vanilla Sugar

1 tablespoon Ground Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Coarse Salt

2 cups (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

2 Large Eggs

1/3 cup Eggnog

2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract

Close-up on some of the cookies

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 10 seconds.

Add eggs, eggnog, and vanilla extract, and mix until incorporated; about 1 minute.

Close-up

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

Turn off mixer and add the flour mixture, and cover mixer with kitchen towel.

Turn the mixer to low speed and incorporate.

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around the paddle attachment.

Close-up

Form into a disk shape, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 375°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

Cut out shapes.

Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 20 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Close-up

Bake 8-12 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned.

Oven temps vary so check the cookies at the 8 minute mark.

Make sure cookie sheets cool in between baking. I place them in the freezer for a few minutes, and repeat until you use up all the dough.

Do not use hot cookie sheets or the cookies will spread and lose their shape.

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies with cookie spatula to wire racks to complete cooling; about 1 hour.

Decorate once the cookies are cool to the touch.

Fireplace

Royal Icing (with Meringue Powder)
Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

2 pounds Powdered Sugar

1/3 cup Meringue Powder (I use Genie's Dream Meringue Powder Premium Blend)

1/2 cup Room Temperature Water (plus extra if you need to thin the icing)

2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

Eggnog Christmas Cookies

Directions
In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar; set aside.

Add meringue powder, room temperature water, and vanilla extract in mixer with whisk attachment and mix on high for 1 minute. Do not overmix.

Turn off mixer and switch to paddle attachment.

Birch trees and a cute cardinal

Snowman with scarf

Add the powdered sugar, cover the mixer with a kitchen towel, and turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add light corn syrup and then beat on high speed until smooth; about 1-2 minutes.

The consistency using this recipe is thick and great for borders, stenciling, writing on cookies, and detail work.

If you need a both a border and flood-like consistency keep reading below.

Melted Snowman

Birch trees and a cardinal

Hat with matching mittens

If you only need flood consistency icing, add small amounts of room temperature water and mix for 5-10 seconds, and repeat until you reach the right consistency. Be careful that your icing does not become too runny or you may have to start over.

Keep the containers or Tupperware/Pyrex covered until you are ready to color. Royal Icing hardens fast.

I use Soft Gel Paste Food Color in various colors.

Use 1-2 drops at a time until you reach the desired color.

Eggnog Dough

Just a small amount of the cookies

Once you have the colors completed in each container, take the amount you need of the border icing consistency and place into icing bottles, tipless bags, or pastry bags fitted with tips.

Then with the remainder of the icing, add small amounts of room temperature water to make flood consistency icing. Stir together with a small spatula and repeat until you have the consistency you need.

A little water goes a long way. This works for me and I get the flood consistency I need. This part takes some practice. Then transfer the flood icing into icing bottles, tipless bags, or bags fitted with tips.

I find doing it this way is easiest as you end up with the same color for both the border/detail work and flood consistency.