My Make-People-Love-You Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

I had plans this weekend.

Big plans.

I was going to knock out at least 4 of these holiday dessert recipes. And then I was going to do all of the laundry, and vacuum out my car, and clean my bathroom, because, ew, gross.

And then, two basketball games, two parties, a photo shoot, and a gross underestimation of the slowness of street traffic put a damper on all of that holiday baking-cleaning action.

Side note: How many of you still actually go to stores to do your holiday shopping? Is the Internet not a thing that makes that a thousand million times easier? Because I honestly just wanted to run regular errands and ALL OF THE CARS EVERYWHERE.

Not one to be deterred (and one who remembers at the last moment that she needs to make gingerbread for a gingerbread party), I did crank out a couple dozen gingerbread cookies…

And put them on my all time favorite Christmas cookie plate to make them instantly more festive…

And then I iced them with homemade eggnog frosting…

And then Dude 3 put sprinkles on them to up their festiveness to like whoa status (yes, it’s a real status, and yes, you’re welcome to use it on Facebook, just don’t overdo it, everything can’t be like whoa)…

And then I did the running man in my kitchen (because that’s what you do when you’re me), posted pics of them on Facebook and Instagram (because that’s what you do when you’re a blogger), and shared a plate of them with my neighbor (because that’s what you do when you want people to worship your cookie baking feet).

Want to make a batch of your own to wow your friends and family with on Christmas Day?

Go ahead, get your pen and paper out so you can make a shopping list.

Super Soft, Crazy Delicious, Eggnog Iced Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

Cookies:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground gloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend OR 1/2 cup regular sugar (I use the sugar blend because fewer calories, not that it matters after you check out everything else in the recipe, but you know, if you’re gonna eat 10 of them, less guilt in that department helps.)

Icing:

1 cup butter, softened

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup eggnog (poured in slowly!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Cream butter with the dark brown sugar.

3. Add the egg and the molasses. Beat.

4. Add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, gloves, and salt. Beat.

5. Stir in the sugar (or sugar blend) with a large spoon.

6. Scoop out dough with a spoon and roll into small balls with your hands (about an inch should do it).

7. Place on cookie sheet and bake 11-12 minutes or until done. Remember, these cookies are dark so be careful not to burn them!

8. While they are cooking, get out a separate bowl to make icing.

9. Beat together all ingredients EXCEPT the eggonog.

10. Pour eggnog in sloooooowly. If you put to much you will have to add some flour to thicken it so take it easy champ. I like my icing for cookies a teeny bit looser than I do on other treats, but you do what works for you; more eggnog for runnier icing and less for a firmer spread.

11. When cookies are done remove and let cool.

12. Ice the cookies. Lick every itty bitty drop of frosting from your fingers.

13. Let your little person decorate with sprinkles. Or, skip that step and just grub.