This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shaw's Supermarket. All opinions are 100% mine.
Eggnog Cookie Dough Bars are easy no-bake desserts perfect for serving as a holiday treat or for including on your Christmas cookie platters!
Bring on the holiday festivities! No matter how you're celebrating this year, I'm hoping it involves delicious food and traditions. I know it certainly will for me!
Despite the fact we'll be having a very small Christmas dinner, we still want to make it special and one big way we do that is by spending time in the kitchen and around the dinner table.
As usual, I headed to my local Shaw's Supermarket Shaw's Supermarket for all my holiday dinner groceries... Including all the ingredients needed to make my Eggnog Cookie Dough Bars.
Shaw's has everything you need to make the perfect meal this holiday season, including fresh ingredients for from scratch meals... And made in-store side dishes and freshly baked holiday treats if you don't feel like making everything.
I decided to make a spiral cut honey baked ham, but had a hard time deciding between that and beef tenderloin or turkey.
If we were having a bigger Christmas celebration, I may have gotten all three! As it is, I may have to have a 12 days of Christmas dinner type celebration 🙂
At Shaw's, you can even place a custom order with your butcher ahead of time to ensure you have a stress-free, delicious holiday.
I also made some simple sautéed green beans and a sweet potato soufflé from Shaw's fresh produce and served everything alongside their dinner rolls.
And, of course, I served a fun holiday dessert... In this case, eggnog cookie dough bars!
OK fine, I bought some Christmas cookies from Shaw's bakery, too! And I was also very tempted by their pies and holiday cupcakes.
I recommend shopping during business hours when the stores tend to be quieter. I also recommend shopping early (and online if you can!) for any essentials and items that can be stored ahead of time. You’ll be able to find the best deals this way and beat the crowds.
And did you know that you can order your entire holiday meal online ahead of time? Simply order online, pick up at the store, and re-heat when you're ready to serve. You can even order freshly crafted appetizer trays online at Order Ahead to make the holiday season as delicious and easy as possible.
Eggnog Cookie Dough Recipe
These eggnog cookie dough bars will make your holiday season even more festive and low-stress! They're a no-bake dessert that's super simple to make. Plus, they can be made a head-of time, which means you can relax and enjoy your holiday instead of being stuck in the kitchen!
To start, you'll make a simple gingersnap crust with crushed gingersnaps and butter. You'll need about 40 standard size gingersnaps (or 2 cups crushed) and 6 Tbsp butter.
Once combined, pat down into a lightly-greased foil-lined 8x8 baking pan. Pop in the freezer while you make the filling.
This edible eggnog cookie dough consists of butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, all-purpose flour, and eggnog. I like to toss in some festive sprinkles, too.
Start by creaming butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Stir in sprinkles.
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and blend until combined.
With mixer on low, slowly add flour to bowl until well combined. Keep mixer on low and add eggnog in until dough comes together.
Remove pan with gingersnap crust from freezer and press cookie dough into an even layer over crust.
Spread buttercream frosting (just confectioners' sugar, butter, eggnog, and salt mixed together until smooth) over the top of the cookie dough and smooth evenly with a spatula. Add on additional sprinkles.
And pop in the fridge for at least 45 more minutes to chill before slicing.
How to Make Flour Safe for Eating
Though this homemade cookie dough doesn't have any eggs in it, to make it as safe to eat as possible, I recommend baking your flour for a bit.
Just spread flour on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. And you're good to go!
Trust me when I say these little cookie dough bites are PACKED with eggnog flavor!
I like to slice them nice and small since they're super sweet (in a really good way), so I get about 36 little squares. You can also slice them larger and get 16 bars.
I love serving low-key bite sized desserts like this on holidays. Since the eggnog cookie dough bars can be made ahead of time, they make holiday entertaining much easier.
Plus, since they're no-bake desserts, they don't need to take up precious oven space while you're trying to prep your ham and sweet potatoes... Or whatever you happen to be serving!
But these cookie dough bars also make a super fun addition to holiday cookie platters. I like adding nontraditional cookies to my platters and these treats definitely add a bit of fun.
Plus, you can't make a plate full of holiday desserts and not include something with eggnog!
I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season and are busy planning a delightful holiday dinner that will be special to you no matter the size.
I shopped at Shaw's Supermarket in my local area, but you can also find quality holiday meal essentials at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.
Shaw's also offers Grocery Delivery and Pick Up for convenient ways to shop!
What's your favorite low-key dessert to serve for holiday dinners?
Eggnog Cookie Dough Bars
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 40 standard-size gingersnaps (about 2 cups crushed)
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cookie Dough Middle
- ¾ cups (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp sprinkles, plus more for topping
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Pinch ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 Tbsp eggnog
Buttercream Frosting
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tbsp eggnog
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Gingersnap Crust
- Put gingersnaps in a food processor and blend until they turn into fine crumbs. Pour in melted butter and pulse a few times until well blended. If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or can crush gingersnaps in a bag and then put them in a bowl and mix with melted butter.
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Pour gingersnap crumbs into baking pan and press down into even layer on bottom of pan.
- Place pan in freezer for 30 minutes while you prepare the cookie dough.
Eggnog Cookie Dough and Assembly
- In the bowl of a mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or spatula/wooden spoon), cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Mix in sprinkles.
- Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and blend until combined.
- With mixer on low, slowly add flour to bowl until well combined. Keep mixer on low and add eggnog in until dough comes together.
- Remove pan with gingersnap crust from freezer and press cookie dough into an even layer over crust.
- Spread buttercream frosting over the top of the cookie dough and smooth evenly with a spatula. Add additional sprinkles over the top.
- Place pan in fridge chill for at least 45 minutes. Once chilled, remove bars from pan by lifting foil. Using a sharp knife, slice into squares. You can cut large squares and get about 16 or small squares and get about 36.
Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, beat together butter and confectioners's sugar. Mix in eggnog and salt.
Notes
- To ensure flour is safe for eating (raw flour can cause foodborne illness), you can toast it. Just spread flour on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
- I recommend keeping these bars in the fridge in an airtight container.
Beth says
I am definitely adding these to my Christmas menu! They look east, festive, and yummy!