Vanilla brown sugar eggnog cookies

Photo: Half Baked Harvest

Tieghan's cutouts have a splash of bourbon, nutmeg and cinnamon, and the glaze is made with eggnog. Cut snowflakes and trees, and dust them with vanilla sugar.

From Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest · @halfbakedharvest

Brown sugar butter cut-outs with vanilla, bourbon, cinnamon and nutmeg, chilled in the freezer before baking, glazed with eggnog icing.

You need

• 3/4 cup (170 g) salted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp bourbon (optional)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus 2 to 4 tbsp if needed
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, for the glaze
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract, for the glaze
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg, for the glaze
• 1/2 cup eggnog (or milk), for the glaze
• Sprinkles or vanilla sugar, to decorate

How to make it

1. Beat the butter and brown sugar, then the egg, bourbon and vanilla.
2. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt and beat until the dough forms a ball. If it's too sticky to roll, add 2 to 4 tbsp more flour.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet with parchment.
4. Roll half the dough 1/4 inch thick on floured parchment. Cut shapes, move them to the sheet with a floured spatula, and freeze 15 minutes so they keep their edges. Repeat with the rest and the scraps.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until just lightly golden. Cool.
6. Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla and nutmeg with 1 tbsp eggnog at a time until smooth and drizzly.
7. Ice the cookies, add sprinkles or vanilla sugar, and let the glaze set about an hour before stacking.

For a swap: Let the glaze set an hour, then stack with parchment.

Written in our own words from Tieghan Gerard's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Vanilla brown sugar eggnog cookies, Half Baked Harvest.

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