Who’s ready for Santa?! A plate full of cookies and you’re good to go!
If only it was only that easy. Getting ready for Santa is nothing short of stressful. Usually Ben takes the Santa preparations by the horns, but this year he has been swamped with work, so I’ve taken the reigns.
All I can say is that it’s a good thing that Emry doesn’t’ talk much. Otherwise many of Santa’s shopping secrets would have already been revealed.
Although, Santa may be laying too much on the line assuming that Emry won’t spill the beans. Just watch; come Christmas Eve she’ll probably exclaim in a perfectly clear sophisticated voice, “Oh Mother! I just can’t wait until Santa brings me all of my Frozen accessories that I have wished for!”
But, I’m guessing that’s far stretched and our secrets will be safe.
One thing that won’t be a secret this year is the type of cookies that will be waiting for Santa. The kiddos have helped me decide that these Cinnamon and Nutmeg Eggnog Snickerdoodles will be the menu item stacked next to grandma and grandpa’s fireplace just waiting to be nibbled by the oversized jolly old man himself.
These Cinnamon and Nutmeg Eggnog Snickerdoodles are just as they sound. A soft chewy snickerdoodle flavored with eggnog. Even better, they have a crisp outer shell that has been rolled in a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
Once you take a bite out of these cookies, you will feel like you have just swallowed a sip of your favorite holiday drink. I’m not sure I will ever go back to regular old snickerdoodles again. The only problem is finding eggnog year round. Hmmm…I’ll have to work on that one.
What cookies do you plan on leaving Santa?
- 1 stick salted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ cup eggnog
- ¾ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon gluten free oat flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter, shortening, eggs, and sugar until pale and smooth. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Mix until incorporated. Add eggnog and mix together. Add brown rice flour, coconut flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, and cornstarch. Mix until incorporated. Beat an additional 2 minutes.
- Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Beat again for one minute. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or until no longer sticky.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, sift together 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Take walnut sized pieces of dough and roll together in a ball. Shake balls into cinnamon and nutmeg mixture. Place on cookie sheets 2” apart. Slightly flatten with palm of your hand. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until lightly browning on edges.
- Allow cookies to sit for 3-5 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to continue cooling on wire racks.
