Eggnog Tres Leches Cookies with Velvet Frosting (Print version)

Soft eggnog cookies rolled in sanding sugar, topped with silky velvet frosting and a candied cherry. A festive holiday treat ready in under an hour.

# Ingredients:

For the frosting base

01 - 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
02 - 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup (180 ml) full-fat eggnog

For the cookies

05 - 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
07 - 1/4 cup (60 ml) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
08 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
09 - 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
10 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
15 - 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
16 - 3 tablespoons sparkling white sanding sugar

For the velvet frosting

17 - 1 batch cooked frosting base (from above)
18 - 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened

For garnish

19 - 16 red candied cherries, halved

# Instructions:

01 - Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in eggnog until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and paste-like, and pulls away from the sides when pushed with a whisk. Transfer to a wide bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Let it return to roughly room temperature before using.
02 - Beat softened butter with granulated sugar, condensed milk, powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour on low speed until a soft dough forms, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even mixing. Keep the dough covered between batches.
03 - Place sanding sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls and roll each in sanding sugar. Arrange 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Dip the bottom of a glass in sanding sugar and press each ball into a 2-inch round. Bake at 350°F on the center rack for 10 and a half minutes, until the bottoms are light golden but the edges show almost no color. Cool on the sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
04 - Transfer the room-temperature frosting base to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth. With the mixer on medium speed, add softened butter a tablespoon at a time. Scrape the bowl, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and light.
05 - Prepare a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip (1M). Pipe a rosette of frosting onto the top of each cooled cookie. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the frosting if desired. Press a halved candied cherry, rounded side up, into the center of each rosette.

# Good to know:

01 - Chill the frosting base before beating it into butter.
02 - Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator.

Back