Eggnog Butter Cookies

A simple butter cookie...there are so many options, you can start with a plain cookie and add anything from lemon to chocolate and that's just the base. You can then adorn the cookie with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar, or you could add a frosting, or a glaze. Then you can slice and bake them, or you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters. You could literally fill a whole cookie tray with different types of butter cookies and no one would know that they are all basically the same simple cookie recipe. I made these ones from Alice Medrich's cookbook last week. Yesterday I noticed that White on Rice Couple had a very similar recipe with an eggnog icing. If I am being totally honest I actually like butter cookies with no icing or powdered sugar, but I'm pretty sure I am in the minority on that one. If you want to make these more kid friendly you can leave out the booze, or as the nice lady at Fred Meyer mentioned, they do have rum and brandy extract in the baking section. I don't think she liked the idea of me buying booze I wasn't going to be straight up drinking! Another Fairbanks lesson learned...keep your baking habits to yourself!

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Eggnog Butter Cookies
adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch by Alice Medrich

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons dark rum
2 teaspoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
powdered sugar and additional grated nutmeg for dusting the cookies

Either using a large wooden spoon and a mixing bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the butter and sugar. You want them to be fully mixed, but not fluffy. Beat in the salt, vanilla, rum, brandy,  nutmeg and egg yolk. Add the flour and mix until it is just incorporated. Dump the dough onto a cutting board and knead a few times to gather up the dry pieces of dough. Roll dough into a 12 x 2 inch log, wrap, and refrigerate overnight. At this point you can refrigerate the dough for up to three days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a rack in the center of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove chilled dough from fridge and cut the log in half. Return half to the fridge. Cut the dough in 1/4 inch thick slices and place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake about 14 minutes or until the cookies are just barely golden brown at the edges. Place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let cool completely before removing cookies. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough in the fridge. Once completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and a little fresh grated nutmeg. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Makes 48 cookies.