I love when I get to go on a learning adventure about something that has happened in history. Whether it’s a large sequence of events or in this case the history of eggnog. This research project I stumbled upon on accident. I was looking up questions for a virtual Christmas trivia game for my team at work and “Where did eggnog originate?” was a suggestion. Of course, a history enthusiast will always fact check so I began digging. It’s the truth! I had no idea how old the traditional drink was though.

It originated during the medieval times as a hot wintertime drink for the aristocracy. The famous name evidently came from two words – grog, another word for rum, and noggins, a word for the small wooden mugs that it was served in. We have to go back to that wintertime drink again. Eggnog was served hot for most of its existence! Who knew? It wasn’t until around 1960 that it became a cold, non-alcoholic drink that we see at grocery stores today. Forbes has a great article on the history of eggnog, including a bit about The Eggnog Riot of 1826 (it’s true, it’s a thing that happened in the US). It definitely convinced me to make my own homemade eggnog soon, maybe George Washington’s (He loved eggnog and had his own recipe)!

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• ¼ cup eggnog
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ½ cup crushed hard butterscotch candies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two baking sheets by lining with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and eggnog.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass, dip in flour and flatten the dough balls into discs. Cut out the middle using a small lid or cookie cutter.

Sprinkle ½ to 1 tsp. crushed butterscotch candies into the center of the cookies.

Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before carefully sliding the foil with cookies onto a baking sheet. Once entirely cooled, drizzle the icing below. Let set until the icing hardens.

Store in the refrigerator.

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ tsp. rum extract
• 3-4 Tbsp. eggnog

This recipe is courtesy of the Taste of Home Cookie Magazine 2020