Admittedly, we finished decorating our Christmas tree a bit later than I would have liked. Usually we get our tree the weekend following Thanksgiving and decorate it that very same weekend, leaving a nice, long stretch of tree enjoyment for the season.
{I heart Christmas tree shopping!}
But this year, since the weekend after Thanksgiving fell SO early, we decided to wait until this past weekend to get our tree (so that it would last until Christmas!) and just finished decorating it last night. We always get our tree from the 14th Street Garden Center in Jersey City and have always gotten a beautiful, full Frasier Fir. Strong branches with light blue on the underside of the branches - we always fall head over heels for our tree!
Shaun and I tag-teamed the lights and the ornaments, which made for a nice, easy decorating session (followed by some seriously swollen feet for me!). Unfortunately we still do not have a proper tree-topper, but it's been tough to find one that we like. Someday, perhaps, we will find a good one!
So holiday cookie week continues over here and today I'm seriously crushing on these Eggnog Snickerdoodles. My sister Kim started making these many years ago and quickly became a necessary part of our holiday cookie tray. I'm not particularly turned on by snickerdoodles, but the eggnog flavor combined with the crispy edges and soft center makes these a true holiday treasure that I look forward to each holiday.
A bit of rum and brandy extract along with a hint of nutmeg take these ordinary snickerdoodles right over the top. Oh and the pretty red and green sprinkles are just the ticket to pretty Christmasy-ness.
Eggnog Snickerdoodles
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C butter, softened
1/2 tsp. rum extract
1/2 tsp brandy extract
2 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C colored sugar (we used both red and green)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in the extracts and eggs. Slowly add in the flour and mix until completely combined.
Move the mixing bowl to the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.
Combine the colored sugar and nutmeg in a small bowl (we used one bowl for red and one for green sugar sprinkles). Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, place on a parchment or silicon mat-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Note: these cookies will expand significantly, so don't overload your pan! Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Yields about 3 dozen cookies.
We packed these up for upcoming holiday parties, but I so wish I had some for breakfast this morning. I think they'd be perfect with some coffee, no?
Do you like eggnog? Snickerdoodles?
What are the most fun holiday flavor combinations you've ever had in a cookie?