Festive Egg Nog Cookies with Rum Frosting

* This post has been compensated through the AE Dairy Blog Ambassador program.  All views and opinions shared are my own. *

Those that know me, know that I'm quite the eggnogaholic this time of year.  I mean, I even Instagram and Tweet about it. 😉 To be specific, I like just a simple glass of AE Dairy's Classic Egg Nog in a festive glass or even straight from the carton.  Nothing added or spiked, just straight.  I mean why mess with a good thing.

A little #AEdairy #EggNog + my #Cyclones = Perfect Thursday Night ☺💛❤🌙 Go Cyclones! #cyclONEnation

A photo posted by Val Plagge (@plaggeval) on Dec 1, 2016 at 6:06pm PST

So, since I am such a big fan of Egg Nog it was mandatory that I develop an Egg Nog Cookie recipe.  This easy Egg Nog cookie brings out the natural flavors of the egg nog into a light and pillowy cookie.

I also decided that this recipe needed something to top it off, so I added a Rum Frosting that you can dip the top of the cookie into, drizzle on top, or I have even piped it into the cookie as a fun surprise for the middle of the cookie.  The Rum Frosting reminds me of my Mom because one of her favorite cookies has a similar frosting. 😊

Egg Nog Cookies with Rum Frosting

Cookie:
2 cups Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
4 Tbsp Butter
1 cup AE Dairy Egg Nog

Frosting:
1 Tbsp Butter
1/4 tsp Rum extract
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1-2 Tbsp AE Dairy Egg Nog

Stir the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together.  To the dry ingredients, mix in butter with a hand mixer til it forms small crumbles.  Then add the Egg Nog and mix til it forms into one large dough ball.

You can roll out the dough or take scoops of the dough.  Make sure you roll out or flatten your cookies because they will rise (and become pillowy soft 😉) in the oven.  Bake the cookies at 375ᐤ F for 10 minutes.  Recipe yields 2 dozen cookies.

While the cookies are baking, make your Rum Frosting.  With your hand mixer mix the butter, rum and vanilla.  Then mix in the powdered sugar til it forms crumbles.  Add 1 tablespoon of Egg Nog at a time until you reach the consistency desired.  I like to dip the top of the cookies into the frosting.  You can also drizzle the frosting or use a piping bag to fill the frosting in the inside of the cookie.

With the frosting, I recommend keeping these cookies in cold storage.

Doesn't this look like the perfect combination for Santa!

These cookies are a winner for all the egg nog fans in your life, and will make those that think they aren't fans reconsider. 😉 Do you love Egg Nog?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!  And since last month I only had a couple blog posts, I'm continuing this month's Comments for a Cause dollars to go to Iowa Cookie Crumbs.  And what better post to comment on and help support their efforts then a Christmas Cookie post!  Be sure to check out my other Christmas Cookie recipes too:

• Homemade Chocolate Mint Oreos
• Peanut Butter Balls
• Grandma Joan's Gooey Wonders
• 16 Iowa Christmas Cookie Exchange

1 Week Before Christmas - Egg Nog Waffles & Holiday Check List

* This post has been compensated through the AE Dairy Blog Ambassador program.  All views and opinions shared are my own. *

It doesn't seem possible to say that Christmas is next week!  On Sunday when I was telling all of the Sunday School kids that we had one week til the program I think I caught a few by surprise!  Maybe it's because this month we've been having warmer temperatures and no snow, but it just doesn't feel like Christmas.  But nonetheless, it is time to get ready by checking your list (aka my Holiday Check List) twice and hopefully my recipe for Egg Nog Waffles will get you in the Christmas mood!

Egg Nog Waffles

2 cups Flour

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 3/4 cups AE Dairy Egg Nog

6 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 Eggs

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until well blended and smooth with a whisk.  Preheat your waffle maker on desired setting (I always go for the medium setting on ours).  Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto the center of the lower grid of your waffle maker.  Close cover and carefully remove after indicator light says it is done, around 1 1/2 minutes.  Repeat with remaining batter.  

Makes eight 6 1/2 inch round waffles.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile you probably know that my family loves waffles and that I love AE Dairy Egg Nog, so this recipe was a no-brainer to create!  It is a hardy, yet fluffy waffle, with all the wonderful spices of Egg Nog.  We have a tradition in our family where we have Birthday Waffles for breakfast the morning of every family member's birthday.  We continue this tradition on Christmas Day morning after opening gifts, as we celebrate Jesus's birthday.  It is just one thing we try to do to remember the reason for the season!

This week the my main thing I'm going to concentrate on is getting all of our Christmas gifts ready to go!  Every year, even though I tell myself to start right away, I find myself the week before Christmas and still no gifts wrapped.  Besides wrapping gifts, I also need to finish making a few gifts.  This year I am making four Christmas presents and as I type this only one is complete.  I am also going to keep up on making Christmas goodies and our Christmas cards will (fingers crossed) go out in the mail tomorrow.  Be sure to check out this week's complete Holiday Check List.

And, you can get caught up on my previous week's Holiday Check Lists and Holiday Recipes by clicking on the links below:

Horchata Pumpkin Waffles and 1 Week Before Thanksgiving Check List

Pecan Pie and Thanksgiving Week Check List

Peanut Butter Balls and 3 Weeks Before Christmas Check List

G'ma Joan's Gooey Wonders and 2 Weeks Before Christmas Check List

So, has anyone else been procrastinating on wrapping gifts like me???  Are you done buying and making all of your Christmas gifts?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Bake with Seasonal Flavors and AE Dairy

* This post has been compensated through the AE Dairy Blog Ambassador program.  All views and opinions shared are my own. *

MP, JP and LP with their pumpkins

I can't believe it is the end of October!  Soon the kids will be trick-or-treating, we'll be finishing corn harvest, and I'll have to take down the Halloween decorations I just put up and replace them with Thanksgiving, or in less than a month - Christmas!  It is definitely the holiday season.  There are so many things happening so close to each other, but it also a great time to sit back, relax and enjoy what makes this time of the year so special.  And one way to sit back and relax and enjoy the season for our family is through food!

The first seasonal flavor I think of when it is this time of year is pumpkin.  Now I will admit, I haven't always been a pumpkin fan, but now really enjoy its rich, spicy flavor.  One of my family's go to pumpkin treats are Pumpkin Orange Cookies.  These soft, pillowy, cookies give you the richness of pumpkin, with a little zip from the AE Dairy Orange Juice.  We eat these cookies for breakfast, afternoon snacks, dessert, and really just anytime all day long.  Let's just say a batch doesn't last us long...  I've given these delectable little cookies as gifts this fall and have instantly been asked for the recipe.  So it isn't just our family that loves the combination of pumpkin and orange!  So, since we've had friends and family ask for the recipe, I figured I'd better share it here on my blog!

Pumpkin Orange Cookies

Cookies:
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 - 15oz can Pumpkin
1 Egg
2 Tbsp AE Orange Juice
Zest of 1/2 of an Orange
2 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp AE Orange Juice
Zest of 1/2 of an Orange

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy.  Add the pumpkin, eggs, orange juice and orange zest.  Gradually add the flour, baking soda and salt, stirring until incorporated.

Drop batter onto baking sheets using a tablespoon or 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop.  Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 10 minutes, or until the edges are set and cookies are firm to the touch.  Let cool slightly on the sheet and then transfer to cooling racks.

For the glaze, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice and orange zest, adding more juice if needed for desired drizzling consistency. Top each cookies with a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of glaze.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

The second seasonal flavor, I think of this time of year is Egg Nog.  I am an Egg Nog fanatic.  Too be specific, I am an AE Dairy Classic Egg Nog fanatic.  I've tried other brands of egg nogs and they just don't compare.  I think back to high school when I use to get a donut and an Icy Cold To Go AE Dairy Egg Nog before jazz band practice from Casey's General Store...  Can't eat like that anymore!  Or when Santa Clause would put a note in my stocking telling me I had my own quart of AE Dairy Classic Egg Nog in the refrigerator... (oh wait, that still happens...)  So yes, I love Egg Nog!  So I was really excited with AE Dairy sent me a shipment of their seasonal milks straight from their Des Moines, Iowa plant last week!

Photo from Instagram (@PlaggeVal)

As you can see, AE Dairy's seasonal milk line up includes more than just Egg Nog, and my family was excited to have our own taste test of all the varieties available now in stores!  (And if you're wondering, isn't this early?  It isn't.  My birthday was on Sunday and I have received Egg Nog as a gift many times!)  From left the right, this year's milk varieties include: Mimi's Milk Nog, Dark Chocolate Milk, After Dinner Mint Chocolate Milk, Horchata, Classic Egg Nog and Lite Egg Nog.

Each milk received high marks from our family.  The kids all liked the AE Dairy Dark Chocolate Milk best (and I have to admit, it was a favorite of mine too).  It wasn't really a surprise they liked it so much since they love chocolate milk to begin with.  My Farmer liked the After Dinner Mint Chocolate Milk a lot.  I am not a "chocolate and mint" combo fan but even I thought the milk was good.  It's a nice, rich chocolate milk, with a slight mint undertone.  Nothing too overpowering, but yet, giving it something special.  Now when we move onto the "Nogs" my favorite was the Classic.  I love the thick, rich flavor that I have grown to love over the decades.  It makes me think Christmas!  My Farmer isn't that big of a fan of Egg Nog but enjoyed Mimi's Milk Nog.  Mimi's is a combination of AE's Skim Milk and AE's Classic Nog.  He thought it was the perfect balance and has enjoyed several glasses and even adding it to his morning coffee.  And everyone wants to know about the Horchata.  This is AE's 2% milk with vanilla and cinnamon - their version of the classic Hispanic drink, or what other's might be more familiar with, a non-alcoholic version of RumChata...  I thought is was really good and it made my mind start rolling with ways I could bake with it during the holidays!

So what seasonal flavor are you craving now?  Pumpkin?  Egg Nog?  Horchata?  Let me know in the comments and remember to Comment for a Cause!