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These Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnog Icing are a delightful addition to your holiday cookie jar. Moist and chewy with tons of gingerbread flavor, these easy cookies are finished with a festive eggnog icing on top.
- A festive flavor combo: Spiced gingerbread cookies and comforting eggnog are two of the most iconic Christmas treats I can think of. These cookies wrap the two into one incredible cookie.
- Moist and chewy. Just beneath the delicate shell of eggnog icing, you’ll find moist, soft cookies with the perfect chew to them.
- Quick and easy. Both the cookie dough and the eggnog icing are super easy to make and come together in a matter of minutes. You don’t even need to chill the dough before you form it into balls and bake it. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is waiting for the cookies to cool before you ice them!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make these gingerbread cookies with eggnog icing. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredient list.
Gingerbread cookies
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature. If it is too cold (or too melted), it won’t cream properly with the sugar, and your cookies will turn out too dense.
- Brown sugar – Pack the brown sugar lightly into the measuring cup in order to get the proper amount.
- Egg – I prefer using a room-temperature egg so that it will mix easily with the other ingredients.
- Molasses – You can’t have gingerbread without molasses! Use light molasses for a sweeter, milder flavor or dark molasses for a deeper, richer flavor with some bite.
- All-purpose flour
- Spices – Ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Baking soda – Don’t swap this for baking powder as it is not the same thing.
- Salt – Just a tiny bit. To balance out the sweetness of the cookies.
Eggnog icing
- Salted butter – You could use unsalted butter instead. Just add a pinch of salt to the saucepan (you need a little salt to balance out the sweetness of the icing).
- Sugar
- Eggnog – Grab some from the store or make your own! My Homemade Eggnog Recipe is pretty spectacular.
- Powdered sugar – Do not try to use a different kind of sugar here.
- Nutmeg – A classic addition to anything involving eggnog.
- Be careful with heat. Sugar burns quickly and easily. So, start on low heat until the sugar has melted. Then, turn the heat up to medium – no higher.
- Keep an eye on the time. Set a timer and boil the icing for 3 minutes exactly. Any longer, and you risk burning it.
- Keep things moving. When boiling the icing, keep things moving to ensure even cooking and to prevent it from burning or clumping together.
- Adjust consistency. You’ll have to use your gut on this one. If the icing seems too thin (like it might drip right off the cookies), add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. If it looks too thick, add a little cream or water, one tablespoon at a time.
- Let it cool. Allow the icing to cool a bit before adding it to the cookies. It will firm up during this time so that it sits properly on the cookies instead of running off. If it gets too firm, no worries. Just pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds (using a microwave safe container, of course).
- Cool cookies. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them. Otherwise, the icing will slide off.
Variation Ideas
- Add color. If you’d like to add gel icing color to your eggnog icing, go for it! Red or green would be my top picks.
- Half-dip. Instead of spreading the icing on top of the cookies, you can dip each cookie into the icing to envelop half of the cookie.
- Leave the icing off. I love the eggnog icing on these cookies, but if you want to skip making the icing and dip your cookies in Homemade Eggnog instead, be my guest!
- Try a different icing. If you’re not a big eggnog person, you can always use a different flavor of icing. The chocolate icing from these Iced Chocolate Cookies would be great. So would my trusty Royal Icing.
How to Store
- Countertop: Once the icing has set, arrange the cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper separating any layers. They will stay good at room temperature for up to 4 days. After that, you can store them in the fridge* for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Allow the icing to set before arranging the cookies on a sheet pan and popping them in the freezer for an hour or so to firm up. Next, transfer them to a large freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
* Note that these cookies will dry out in the fridge, so it’s best to eat them within 4 days or to freeze them for a later date.
More Gingerbread Inspired Recipes
- Gingerbread Cookies (Soft and Chewy Cutouts)
- Gingerbread Layer Cake
- Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Gingerbread Cheesecake Trifle
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Caramel Molasses Frosting
- Slow Cooker Gingerbread Latte
Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 30-32 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnong Icing are soft, moist, chewy and delicious! With the tasty combination of eggnog and gingerbread, these are the ultimate Christmas cookies!
Ingredients
GINGERBREAD COOKIES
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (144g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp (45ml) molasses
- 2 1/4 cups (293g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
EGGNOG ICING
- 2 tbsp (28g) salted butter
- 1/4 cup (52g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) eggnog
- 1 1/2 cups (172g) powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the egg and molasses and mix until well combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Dough will be thick.
- Make balls of cookie that are 1 1/2 tablespoons in size and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the centers of the cookies are just cooked. Don’t over bake.
- Allow cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the eggnog icing, combine all the ingredients except for the powdered sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat on low until the sugar is melted, then turn heat to medium to bring to a boil.
- Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and immediately pour into a heat-proof glass bowl.
- Whisk in powdered sugar and allow to cool slightly and thicken. If you find your icing to be a little thick, just add a touch of cream or water to thin it back out. If it seems too thin, add additional powdered sugar. If it cools too much and firms before adding to the cookies, just microwave it for about 10 seconds.
- Frost the cookies with the icing and add sprinkles, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 70.5 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.3 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 21.5 mg
Icing recipe says if too thick, add a ‘touch more water.’ I didn’t see water listed as an ingredient. Did I miss something? Making these today! Thanks.
You are correct. I have edited that to make it more clear.
I just baked these cookies. The taste is very good. Haven’t done the frosting yet, waiting for cookies to cool. Would it be ok to freeze these before frosting?
Glad you’re happy with them. Yes, you could freeze them.
The only problem with these cookies is trying not to eat them all! Such a fantastic flavour and soft texture. The eggnog icing really takes it up a notch. This will definitely be added amongst my favourites.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these cookies today and WOW, delicious! My icing didn’t turn out very thick & white like the picture though.
This was the third recipe of yours I baked in the last week – and I wasn’t disappointed. It had the most amazing gingerbread flavor, and the texture was perfect. So, so good.
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
They came out beautiful and absolutely delicious! Quick question, can I use salted butter for the cookies instead? I don’t feel like running to the store and all I have here is salted butter.
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, salted butter is fine. Just leave out the additional salt.
I had the same issue with the first batch not spreading, but the second batch I flattened slightly and they came out perfect! Taste is great!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them!
My cookies turned to puddles. What happened?
It’s really hard to say without being there. It could have something to do with creaming the butter and sugar – it helps give the cookies rise. Could also be butter temperature – if it’s too warm, it doesn’t cream correctly. Could be something to do with how an ingredient was measured out. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer of you, but those are all possibilities.
The cookies turned out amazing but I’ve now tried this recipe twice and both times the icing didn’t turn out. It’s so runny! I tried to add cornstarch and more powdered sugar to thicken it and nothing worked 🙁
I think the key to the icing is to really boil the eggnog down until it carmelizes and reduces. The full 3 minute boil worked for me, then when I added the powdered sugar the icing was nice and thick! Good luck!
You are right, Lori. I’m so glad it worked well for you! 🙂
Hi!! I would really love to try and make the cookies. But I live in china, and cannot find molasses anywhere. Do you think that I can try and substitute the molasses for something else? maybe honey, or melted whole brown sugar? thank you so much!
I don’t know of a good molasses substitute, I’m sorry. I don’t know if honey would work or not, but it’d change the flavor of the cookies quite a bit.
You can use equal parts dark corn syrup in place of the molasses. If you can’t find that then use 3/4 dark brown sugar and 1/4 hot water instead of what is required of molasses. IE; 3tbsp of molasses would be 2 1/4 tbsp of dark brown sugar and 3/4 tbsp of hot water to make a syrup.
The cookies turned out great, ut the icing is a disaster! I have now made 2 dufferent lots, and it’s still like water, no way it will firm up enough to use. What have I done wrong? ????
That seems very strange. Did it cook/boil long enough? That will thicken the mixture. The powdered sugar also thickens it. I’d suggest either cooking it a little longer or adding additional powdered sugar.
My icing is much too runny as well, but then I’ve never seen a recipe like that with so much liquid. Usually it’s about a tablespoon. Perhaps you used a much thicker eggnog? I cannot imagine a powdered sugar icing thickening up with this much liquid in it, but I’m glad yours worked out. Mine did not.
Hey Lindsay!! That’s so awesome you go to Andy Stanley’s church, I have been listening to his podcast for years (I live in Illinois)
Quick question about these cookies, I just made them and the flavor is delicious, however, my cookies didn’t spread and/or flatten like yours. Did you flatten them after you made the 1 1/2 tablespoon balls? Just trying to think of what went wrong. Regardless of the shape, we will eat them all up because they are so good!
Yes, I love his messages – he’s so great! The church does some amazing things. 🙂
For the cookies – if they didn’t spread as well, typically that’s because of having a bit too much flour. Did you use cups or grams when measuring? Sometimes people scoop cups differently – be sure not to pack the flour into the scoop. I typically loosen up the flour, then scoop and level. If you have a scale, weighing in grams would be more accurate. 🙂 I hope that helps!
I am making these now.
They are not flattening out much as all. Were the balls supposed to be flattened before baking?
If they didn’t spread as well, typically that’s because of having a bit too much flour. Did you use cups or grams when measuring? Sometimes people scoop cups differently – be sure not to pack the flour into the scoop. I typically loosen up the flour, then scoop and level. If you have a scale, weighing in grams would be more accurate. 🙂 I hope that helps!
I didn’t flatten them. If they aren’t spreading as well, typically that’s because of having a bit too much flour. Did you use cups or grams when measuring? Sometimes people scoop cups differently – be sure not to pack the flour into the scoop. I typically loosen up the flour, then scoop and level. If you have a scale, weighing in grams would be more accurate.
Gingerbread and eggnog….what an incredible combination of things I so totally like.
These look and sound delicious, and where did you find those cute gingerbread men sprinkles?
I’ve seen them in a few places, most recently at Home Goods. Sometimes they’re in a Christmas sprinkle set. Here’s something similar on amazon.
Hi Lindsay!
Thank you so much for the delicious looking cookie recipe, and also for sharing Andy Stanley’s Christmas message! I love the history he brought to light leading up to the birth of Jesus! I’m looking forward to his next message!! Have a great day, and thank you again for sharing!!????
Hi Linda! I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!