Cranberry eggnog cookies are the perfect holiday treat and they’re so quick and easy to bake! This is an easy cranberry eggnog cookie recipe.
This simple recipe takes craisins and eggnog and combines them with eight other basic ingredients you probably already have around the house.
You can substitute craisins for your leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, or try it with fresh berries if they’re in season!
Cranberry Eggnog Cookies
Cranberries are considered to be a superfood because they’re high in nutrients and antioxidants. They’re low in sugar so they have a tart flavor and a welcome balance to the sweet icing.
The sugary-eggnog icing of course is optional but I highly recommend it!
What is Eggnog?
If you’ve never tried eggnog before, think of it as a super-rich glass of milk. It’s dairy-based and made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks.
During the Christmas season, stores bring out the eggnog and folks start using it in everything from their morning coffee to their cranberry eggnog cookies!
It’s thick texture resembles full cream and has a spiced, holiday taste.
Are There Dairy-Free Eggnogs?
Yes! For vegan and lactose-free bakers, there are dairy-free eggnog options. Here are a few brands to try: Blue Diamond Almonds Almond Breeze Almondmilk Classic Nog, Trader Joe’s Almond Nog and So Delicious Coconutmilk Holiday Nog.
Can I Substitute Dairy-Free Eggnog in my Cranberry Eggnog Cookies?
Absolutely. You’ll see the eggnog amounts called for in this easy cranberry eggnog cookie recipe are small, two tablespoons in the cookie and two or three tablespoons in the icing.
Why do we drink eggnog at Christmas?
It’s kind of a weird tradition, right? The drink made its way through the American colonies back in the early 1900s. Served warm and with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, this thick and creamy drink is basically Christmas in a cup.
Of course, I love all kinds of food and drink traditions and encourage celebrating through fabulous recipes whenever possible!
Wintertime in the northern hemisphere often means we’re sticking closer to home and spending more time indoors. And to warm up from the cold, a warm drink and fresh-baked cookies really hits the spot!
Cranberry Eggnog Cookies Ingredients:
- butter
- sugar
- egg
- eggnog
- vanilla
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- craisins
Icing Ingredients:
- powdered sugar
- eggnog
How to Make Cranberry Eggnog Cookies
These cranberry spice cookies have a shortbread-like crumbly texture, while remaining extra soft and buttery.
Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Add egg, eggnog, and vanilla. Mix well.
Add half of flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
Add remaining flour and mix until well blended.
Stir in craisins.
Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet and bake.
How to Make Eggnog Icing
These cranberry eggnog cookies taste great on their own, but the icing brings it up a notch or two. And the best part is there are only two ingredients! This icing is creamy, sweet and tastes delicious.
To prepare frosting, combine powdered sugar and eggnog. If it is too thick, add a little eggnog. If it is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
When cookies are cool, frost and enjoy.
Once the icing has set, cover in an airtight container and store at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator for up to one week. Uniced cookies can be covered at room temperature for up to one week.
Freezing Instructions
You can freeze your baked cranberry eggnog cookies with or without icing for up to three months in an airtight container.
The amazing thing about holiday cookies is they freeze great, and while there’s nothing better than fresh cookies, this is the time of year when you want homemade cookies on hand. You just never know what will come up!
When should you start baking Christmas cookies?
Why not start now? Like I said, most holiday cookies freeze great. Homemade cookies can be frozen without losing their flavor for about three months.
What are the most popular cookies in North America?
Since we’re talking about holiday baking, you may as well add some variety to your mix. Check out our great list of popular cookies and I have a few favorites as well.
Grandma’s Oatmeal Chocolate Raisin Cookies
Chewy Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
Eggnog Alternatives
If you’re baking cranberry eggnog cookies in the offseason, eggnog may not be available. But all is not lost—there are eggnog alternatives!
Eggless Eggnog
If you love eggnog but don’t want to drink raw eggs, here’s a quick variation. This recipe will make much more than you need so feel free to adjust accordingly.
Blend two cups of milk with ½ a cup of white sugar, a package of instant vanilla pudding mix, one and a half teaspoons of rum-flavored extract, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger. Once spoon, stir in three more cups of milk and refrigerate until thickened, at least one hour.
Eggnog Substitutes
When a recipe calls for eggnog, you can easily substitute milk, buttermilk or cream 1:1.
Full fat creamy eggnog works the best in this easy cranberry eggnog cookie recipe, so keep that in mind when choosing your eggnog substitute. A light milk or cream may produce a slightly different texture cookie, although it will still taste great.
More Recipes to Pair With Cranberry Eggnog Cookies
Eggnog Cookie Bars
Grandma's Chocolate Eggnog Pudding Cake
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins (Cruffins)
Easy Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Love Cranberry Eggnog Cookies? Here's More Christmas Baking Inspiration
Easy Christmas Tree Cupcakes
Easy Sugar Cookie Bars
Red Velvet Swirl Bundt Cake
Layered Chocolate Nut Toffee
Easy Mint Chocolate Fudge
Cranberry Eggnog Cookies with Eggnog Icing
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon eggnog
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup craisins
Icing Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered or icing sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon eggnog
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add egg, eggnog, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add half of flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Add remaining flour and mix until well blended.
- Stir in craisins.
- Work dough with your hands until it forms a ball.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet.
- Flatten each ball with a flat glass cup. Lightly flour the bottom of the cup if it sticks.
- Cookies will look nice and smooth on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Allow to cool on rack.
- To prepare frosting, beat powdered sugar and eggnog together.
- If it is too thick, add a little eggnog. If it is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
- When cookies are cool, using a brush frost and enjoy every bite!
Nutrition
Alex
Hello Karin and Ken!
In my quest to find a Cranberry Eggnog cookie that piqued my attention, I came upon your site, and I am so very happy I did! Your life and love story are heartwarming and the latest wee addition to your family, that "Bundle of Joy" is adorable - albeit quite grown-up now since the posting, I am sure! "Congratulations" to all!
Your recipe is absolutely delicious, yielding such a tender cookie, but sturdy enough to not fall apart when biting into it. The eggnog frosting is fabulous and has "Holiday" tasting all the way! Overall, a wonderful recipe!
I'm wondering if you could please give me an idea of how flat the cookies should be, i.e., the diameter? I am actually making them now and testing out a sample or two in my oven to see how long I should bake them for. Poor me . . . I've had to try a few of the samples myself to reach my verdict! LOL!
To get a 1" ball, I am weighing 26 grams of cookie dough for each cookie. I would like to make a few batches and freeze them for later on in the season which is why the weight measurement works better for me.
I will look forward to your reply and thoughts on the above. In the meantime, testing must continue! LOL!
With appreciation and warm regards,
"Cheers" from the Canadian Prairies
Karin and Ken
We love these cookies too and make them every year. How is it going? I hope you finished getting them all ready. I admire how organized you are! I can’t wait to hear how everything went. I went to school in Manitoba! All the best. Karin