No-Roll Sugar Cookies {with Eggnog Icing}

Cookie exchanges are one of my favorite types of gatherings during the holidays.  It gives me a reason to make cookies and I get to try everyone else's delicious creations.  This year a friend of mine brought some sugar cookies with eggnog icing to an exchange.  The cookie was buttery and tasty, and I loved the unique holiday flavor of eggnog in the icing.

But the best part about these cookies is that you can bake up some sugar cookies without having to chill and roll out dough.  I often like the idea of decorating cookies with my kids, but when it comes down to taking the time and effort to mix up dough, chill it, roll it, stamp out shapes with cookie cutters, and clean up all that mess....cookie decorating doesn't happen very often for us.  But if we can do without fun shapes and be happy just decorating round cookies, I may be able to swing cookie decorating a little more often with this recipe.  Some of the cookies deflated a bit, but some of them stayed thick and puffy.  While these cookies don't have quite the same texture and smooth surface of roll-out sugar cookies, it's sure nice to be able to bake sugar cookies without it taking hours.  My kids had a great time covering some of these with frosting and sprinkles, and I enjoyed drizzling some with eggnog icing.

No-Roll Sugar Cookies
Yield: about 30-35 cookies, depending how big you make them
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with one rack in upper third and another rack in lower third.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.

3. With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture; mix just until smooth.  (Dough will be stiff; you may need to finish mixing it with a wooden spoon.)

4. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.  Roll dough into small to medium-size balls, then roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Bake until edges of cookies are just firm and tops are barely beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking time.  Allow to cool 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack.

Source: from Everyday Food, April 2007 via www.marthastewart.com via my friend, Wendy

Eggnog Icing
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons eggnog
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Nutmeg to taste

Directions:
In a medium bowl, stir together powdered sugar and one scant tablespoon eggnog.  Stir in the vanilla.  Stir in additional eggnog until desired consistency is reached.  Add nutmeg to taste.  Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Source: from my friend, Wendy