Eggnog Linzer Cookies

These Eggnog Linzer Cookies will be the hit of the holiday cookie platter! With a delicious eggnog icing sandwiched between two eggnog cookies, these make a delightful holiday treat.

Eggnog is one of the last sacred delicacies that actually stays in the holiday season in which it belongs. I mean, you can buy Halloween Peeps and Christmas Peeps now. And I even saw those delicious Cadbury Mini Eggs being sold in Halloween and Christmas colors. Like, whyyyy?

Seasonal treats become a whole lot less exciting when you can indulge in them at any old time of year. But eggnog? Eggnog screams Christmas holidays through and through and I just don't see it trying to break through into the Easter season.

It knows its place and it also knows that I am very likely to overdo it if I can access it at any time of year. Thank you for keeping me in check, eggnog.

I've been loving linzer cookies lately because they're super fun to make, visually appealing, and always delicious. When I was working on my holiday cookie platter post, I decided to add these Christmas tree eggnog cookies to the mix and they turned out so delicious that I decided they needed a post of their own.

And here they are!

What Are Linzer Cookies?

You may be wondering what exactly linzer cookies are. Simply put, they're classic shortbread sandwich cookies made in part with almond flour.

Linzer cookies traditionally have a layer of jam between them and are lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar.

I've made Lavender Lemon Linzer Cookies and Pumpkin Spice Linzer Cookies in the past.

For this eggnog shortbread cookie version, instead of using jam I used an eggnog icing. I still topped the cookies with confectioners' sugar, but added some sprinkles, too!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

First of all, I think you're going to love how fun they look! They really are a "show-stopper" on any cookie platter and you really only need to add one or two to make a statement.

Despite looking complicated, the eggnog shortbread is actually quite easy to make and decorate. They are a bit more time consuming than other Christmas cookies, but not difficult and well worth it!

And, of course, they taste absolutely delicious! They definitely have the flavor of eggnog, but not in an overpowering way. They're light cookies with the perfect amount of holiday flavor.

Ingredients

The ingredients for these are pretty standard cookie ingredients. But since they are linzer cookies, you do need almond flour in addition to all-purpose. I usually use Bob's Red Mill almond flour.

Here's what you need for the eggnog shortbread cookies:

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Large egg yolk
• Eggnog
• All-purpose flour
• Almond flour
• Salt
• Sprinkles, for decorating
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

And here's what you need for icing:

• Confectioners' sugar
• Eggnog

How to Make Eggnog Shortbread Cookies

While these are pretty typical shortbread cookies, I, of course, added a splash of eggnog to the actual cookie itself.

Oh, and as you know, I only ever buy Hood Eggnog (they're not sponsoring this post, but have sponsored me on recipes in the past).

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and eggnog.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, and salt. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.

Divide dough in half and pat each half into a disc. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge until firm, about 1 hour

Typically, for linzer cookies, you'd have two cookie cutters of the same shape in different sizes and use the smaller cookie cutter to cut out the shape in the middle of the bigger cookie.

But I didn't have a small Christmas tree cookie cutter that was exactly the right size, so I used a star instead. Once all the trees were cut, I used the star cutter on half of them. These will be the cookies that go on top of the sandwiches.

Once dough is chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of it out to be about ¼"-thick (leave second disc of dough in fridge).

Cut out cookies with a medium or large cookie cutter and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure to re-roll and dough scraps to cut out as many cookies as you can. Place cookie sheet in fridge for about 30 minutes and take second dough disc out.

On lightly floured surface, roll second dough disk out to be about ¼"-thick and cut shapes with same cookie cutter.

Transfer these to a second parchment paper-lined baking sheet and use a smaller cookie cutter to make a cutout in the center of each. Place this cookie sheet in fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Here's where I cut the little stars in the middle.

While cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

And bake both sheets of cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the eggnog cookies are cooled, you can make the icing and decorate them!

How to Make Eggnog Icing

The icing is the easiest thing ever to make and adds just a hint more eggnog flavor to the finished cookies!

To make, whisk together confectioners' sugar and eggnog in a medium bowl until smooth. 

And that's it! You're ready to decorate those linzer cookies.

How to Decorate Eggnog Linzer Cookies

You can decorate your cookies however you want, but I like to drizzle some of the eggnog icing on top of the trees with the cut-outs...

And then drunk them in sprinkles.

And the result is a nicely decorated Christmas tree!

Once the sprinkles are on, you'll want to dust the decorated cookies with a little powdered sugar. Then spread eggnog icing on the cookies that don't have cut-outs and sandwich the decorated trees on top.

And the Christmas tree eggnog cookies are complete!

Obviously you need to serve them with a nice cold glass of eggnog. Remember, eggnog season is short and only comes once a year, so you really need to enjoy it while you can!

I use it to replace milk in so much of my holiday baking (pancakes, anyone??), plus we always have a carton in our fridge because my husband is a serious addict.

He is actually the prime example of why eggnog should stick to just the holiday season. He would go WAY overboard if it were available all year long.

More Eggnog Recipes

If you want to get as much out of eggnog season as you possibly can, here are some more eggnog recipes I think you'll love!

• Eggnog Cookie Dough Bars
• Spiked Eggnog Donuts
• Eggnog Granola
• Eggnog Gingerbread Cookies
• Gingerbread Rolls with Eggnog Glaze
• Eggnog Ice Cream Pie
• Eggnog Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
• Eggnog Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cups
• Eggnog Overnight Oats
• Eggnog Cake (from Call Me PMC)

But back to the eggnog linzer cookies! These are the perfect alternative to a holiday sugar cookie. The almond flour and subtle decoration make them a little more sophisticated than the typical sugar cookie...

And the fact that the eggnog cookies are sandwiched together with a delicious eggnog filling makes them doubly delicious.

When you grab a cookie from the holiday cookie platter, you'll feel like you hit the jackpot with this one!

Now, excuse me while I go freak out about how much I still have to do before Christmas in less than one week (ahhh!).

In between baking more cookies, making more toffee, and sitting by the door waiting for UPS to deliver my gifts so I can wrap them, I'll be sipping on eggnog, eating eggnog cookies, and trying to enjoy the moment.

Do you ever bake with eggnog?

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