Making Eggnog Cutouts!

I found this recipe for eggnog flavored cutouts in the book Cookies to Die For! by Bev Shaffer. I made these cutouts during the holidays and it holds true to the description of flavor, however it doesn't use any eggnog which I found interesting.
"Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, cold
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. milk, whole or 2 percent

Confectioners' Sugar Icing

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tsp. milk, whole or 2 percent

In a food processor, place the flour, sugar, baking power, and nutmeg and pulse to combine.


Add cold pieces of butter and pulse several times just until the mixture forms fine crumbs.


In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk and add to the four mixture. Pulse just until mixture is moistened. Divide dough in half and shape into 2 disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; flatten to 1/2" thick. Chill dough for 2 hours


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.


Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8" thick, one disk at a time (keep remaining dough refrigerated). Cut with your favorite cookie cutters, placing 1" apart on prepared cookie sheets.


Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or just until edges are a light golden color. Cool 1 minute, then remove from cookie sheets to wire racks to cool completely.


For the Icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners'' sugar and milk to make Icing desires spreading or piping consistency.


Decorate cooled cookies by spreading or, with a pastry bag and a thin tip, piping with the Icing Makes about 2 dozen" (Shaffer 223).


These cookies took longer than the last ones I made since of two hours the dough had to chill, but once again the recipe was clear and easy to follow. I may have worked for thirty or forty minutes, but most of the time was waiting for the dough to cool and then baking.

I have never made cutout cookies, and for my first time I decided to do my own thing in a way. The recipe calls for an icing that you can decorate the cookies with after they cool (Shaffer 223). However, I decided to not add the sugar to keep the flavor of the eggnog and to keep the cookie simpler. Also, the recipe says it can make around twenty-four cookies. Yet, I was only capable of making around eighteen, but my cookies were fairly large. The size of the cookies also required a longer baking time than nine minutes to bake completely.



With this recipe, I was quite surprised about how little milk it called for, calling only for a couple tablespoons. But I really did like this recipe, I thought the flavor matched eggnog well. The cookies baked well and there was not a struggle of the cookies running, they came off of the sheet well enough too. However, I think the flavor could have been a little stronger, it felt it was a little dull but it matched.


If I ever try this recipe again, I may try some new things. Since the eggnog flavor was dull, I could try adding more nutmeg, butter, and milk. I am not really sure if this would accomplish the goal, but I hope they will bring out the flavor more next time. I could also try having an icing on the cutouts and see if the original recipe is better. But I am afraid adding an icing will overpower the already weaker eggnog flavor.


Do you think I should try adding an icing to the cutouts? Why or why not?



Shaffer, Bev. Cookies to Die For! Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub., 2009. Print.