Thick and chewy Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies are the ultimate Christmas Cookie. They’re made with nutmeg and a healthy dose of bourbon so they’re full of holiday cheer, and are the perfect way to enjoy all the yumminess of eggnog during the festive season but in cookie form. They’re so simple to make, and are perfect for a cookie exchange and gifting!
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Eggnog? Do you love it or does it kind of ick you out? Eggnog isn’t something that ever caught on much here in the UK, but the idea of it and the flavours really intrigued me. Eggs, cream, nutmeg and booze – sounds pretty damn delicious to me! So when Starbucks starting doing the eggnog latte over here I had to try it, and I thought it was delicious! I was firmly on the eggnog train. But I know it grosses some people out, especially those who have never tried it, I think it’s the idea of drinking raw eggs (even though it really is pretty safe to do so these days). But as someone who loves an egg white in her cocktails, that doesn’t put me off at all! But for those of you who love the flavours that are in eggnog but don’t want to drink it, I made you these Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies! Yep – just for you!
Having said I enjoy drinking eggnog and love it, if I have a choice between drinking it and eating it in cookie form – I’m totally choosing the cookie every single time! Because these Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies are ridiculously delicious! They’re the perfect balance between thick and chewy, and a little crispy on the outside. These Eggnog Cookies also have a good amount of bourbon in them, we’re not being stingy over here, you can taste that bourbon baby! They don’t actually contain any pre-made (or homemade) eggnog, but it has the three most important components – eggs, nutmeg, and bourbon, which is all you really need! If you prefer your eggnog with rum or brandy, please by all means sub them in instead! I just favour bourbon myself.
If you’re looking for a festive cocktail to go with your cookies, try this Crantini!
These Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies took quite a bit of trial and error to get perfect! Mostly due to the fact I refused to compromise on the amount of bourbon I put in them, and it was totally worth all those failed batches! The failed batches didn’t go to waste either, while they weren’t perfect they were still pretty yummy and all got eaten up! The first batch of these Eggnog Cookies the dough was way too thin, the cookies spread pretty much paper thin, deliciously chewy but not a lot of substance to them – and they very quickly went from under baked to over baked! So the next batch, I reduced the amount of sugar (sugar is one of the main culprits of cookie spreading) and upped the flours a tiny bit – this gave me the opposite problem! They barely spread at all so were too thick and cakey, and a little dry, certainly not a cookie worthy to be shared by any means. The next batch, I put the sugar back up and kept the flours the same as batch number 2 – these were pretty good but still not what I was looking for, they still didn’t have quite enough spread and I wasn’t a huge lover of the flavour the almond flour was giving. After all, I wanted nutmeg and bourbon to be the star of these Eggnog Cookies. So for the fourth batch, I took out the almond flour and replaced it with a little extra oat flour – then added an extra egg yolk to make up for the loss of moisture you get from nut flours (no egg whites in these cookies, I wanted them to be chewy and moist so it’s yolks only). And batch number 4? Perfection! These Eggnog Cookies were moist, chewy, thick enough so you can really get your teeth into them – and most importantly, they flavour is amazing! Nutmeg, a tiny hint of cinnamon, and bourbon – it’s like you’re in a Christmas movie and Santa just won the day! Speaking of Santa, if you leave these Eggnog Cookies out for him he’ll definitely be leaving you extra presents under the tree – just don’t leave too many or he might not make it to the next house!
These Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies use a combination of a Gluten Free Plain Flour Blend (known as all-purpose flour state side) and oat flour, and it works really well. The brand of GF flour blend I use is Dove’s Farm which is great and is a 1-for-1 swap with regular gluten flour. I’m fairly certainly this brand is only available in the UK though, so if you’re elsewhere just pick up a brand that is a 1-for-1 swap and made for baking (other non-baking GF blends can contain bean flours which isn’t great for baking!), in the US I’ve heard really good things about Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 GF flour but I’ve yet to try it myself. Oat flour you can buy readymade or make it yourself – it’s really easy to do, just stick the oats in a good blender and pulse for a few times! With regards to the oats in this recipe, please remember that while oats don’t contain any gluten they are often processed with wheat so are contaminated by a lot of gluten, so always use certified gluten free oats! It’s also worth noting that some people who are sensitive to gluten can also be sensitive to the proteins in oats, so if you’re making them for somebody else just double check they can eat GF oats! Now we’re armed with all the info, let’s get baking these awesome Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies!
Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 24 cookies
Thick and chewy gluten free eggnog cookies are the ultimate Christmas cookie! Perfect for gifting and your cookie exchange
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups (200g) gluten free all purpose flour blend*
- 1.25 cups (115g) oat flour**
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains xanthan or guar gum)
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarb)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2oz (55g) cream cheese
- 1.25 packed cups (250g) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large egg yolks
- 4 tbsp bourbon***
Instructions
- Make brown butter - put the butter in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat until melted, then heat for a further 5-8 minutes until you see dark brown specks in it and it gives off a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool slightly
- Put the flours, xanthan gum (if using), baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Put the brown butter, cream cheese, and sugars in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use an electric handheld mixer) and beat on a medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition. Beat in vanilla and bourbon.
- Add the flour, and beat on low until combined.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180C. Line a cookie sheet with greaseproof/parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop 1 inch balls, place 1.5 inches apart on your cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Keep cookie dough in fridge while the others bake.
- Cool on tray until set, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Perfect for dunking in eggnog!
Notes
Will keep in an airtight container for 5 days
* I use dove's farm gluten free plain flour blend. Your favourite GF 1-to-1 blend will work, or regular all purpose flour if gluten isn't a concern
**Please ensure your oats are certified gluten free
***sub for rum or brandy if you prefer
Calorie information is generated using an app and should be used for guidance only
Courses Dessert
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 139 | ||
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
