Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies

I’d like to give a shout out and a big thank you to Shelby over at The Live and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch. If you haven’t checked her out, DO. Her recipes and stories are so warm and full of love. That was the shout out. Now, on to the thank you. So thank you, Shelby. Your recipe for Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies left such a wonderful impression… on my butt. I should have locked these up and thrown away the key. Instead I ate each wonderful morsel, bit by bit. OK, OK. In reality I think I only ate three or four, but I definitely COULD have eaten the whole batch.

I served these at our Apps and Wine holiday party and they were definitely a hit. My co-workers devoured the rest when I put them in the staff kitchen the following day.

Now that I have you all drooling, I bring you the recipe, found by Shelby via the Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas book.

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon rum *

In a large mixer bowl beat 3/4 cup butter till softened. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat til fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt and beat well. Add flour and beat until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour or till easy to handle.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down centers with thumb. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 12 minutes or till done. Remove and cool.

For filling, in a small mixer bowl beat 1/4 cup butter til softened. Add powdered sugar and beat till fluffy. Add rum and beat well. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon filling into center of each cookie. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Chill till filling is firm. Makes about 50.

*You may substitute 1 tablespoon milk and 1/4 teaspoon rum extract for the rum.

Notes:
1. Shelby used rum. Therefore I used rum!

2. Shelby said the recipe doesn’t make 50 cookies. She’s right. I got about 24 cookies.

3. Be generous with the filling. I ended up having to go back and add more to each cookie because I had so much leftover and I had already licked a good spatula’s worth of it myself.