Another cookie exchange has come and gone and it was so much fun! I hope everyone loved it as much as I did. I tried to think about a twist on a holiday standard that I could make and spices and eggnog came to mind and couldn’t leave it, even after people were like, are you sure about that? I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure about them in my life. They are delicious!

Spiced Eggnog Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookies:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of salted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons spiced rum
• 2/3 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Eggnog Icing:

• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 4 tablespoons eggnog (might need more or less)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon spiced rum
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

Cookies:

1. Cream together butter and sugar together till light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg, vanilla and the rum to the butter and sugar mixture and thoroughly incorporate.
3. Sift together the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon and slowly mix in a cup at a time.
4. Form dough into three even bricks and roll out between two pieces of wax paper. Refrigerate rolled dough for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Cut out your cookie shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 14 minutes or until the edges of cookies begin to turn golden.
8. Repeat steps 4 and 6 with dough scraps.
9. When cookies are fully cooled they’re ready for decorating!

Icing:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Mix in vanilla, rum and corn syrup.
3. Slowly add eggnog a spoonful at a time till desired consistency is reached.

Notes:

• When you refrigerate the dough and use the cookie cutters on it it makes it considerably easier to pick up and move the cut dough without it ripping or warping.

Pumpkin Cream Pie

This is a suuuuper late Thanksgiving post, or an alternate Christmas dessert post, but it’s fabulous easy way to do a non-traditional pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 1 (9 inch) graham cracker pie crust
• Pecans (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, spices, and whipped cream in a bowl. Beat with a mixer till equally combined, about a minute. Pour filling into pie crust.
   
2. Place in refrigerator until set, about 3 hours.

Notes:

• I placed a little extra whipped cream on the top of mine with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
• Pecans go wonderfully with this and make a nice decorative addition.