Egg Nog Thumbprint Cookies

Mary Scheffert's Note:

I found this recipe in a holiday issue of Taste of Home and wanted to post it here for safe-keeping.

• Total Time: 22 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 24

Yield: 48.0 cookies

• 2⁄3; cup butter , softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs , separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8; teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

FILLING

• ¼ cup butter , softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• ¼ teaspoon rum extract
• 1 -2 teaspoon milk
• 1 -2 drop yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt & nutmeg until combined. Cover & chill dough for approximately 1 hour or until firm & easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 350F; lightly grease a cookie sheet.
3. Whisk egg whites until foamy. Shape dough intol 1" balls; dip in egg white then roll in walnuts. Place 1" apart on greased cookie sheet.
4. With the handle of a wooden spoon, make a 1/2" indent in the center of each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes or until center of cookies are set. Remove cookies from sheet & cool thoroughly on wire racks.
5. For the filling, combine butter, confectioner's sugar, rum extract & enough milk to make a smooth frosting. Add food coloring if desired. Place frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip & pipe into indents of each cookie.

Reviews

[Team Atlanta]

We took this recipe and changed it up a bit. Doubled the nutmeg, put the rum flavoring in the cookie dough (used the same amount as the vanilla), and put the ground nuts in the dough as well. Then we dredged each baked cookie in powdered sugar, so they became more like Egg Nog Wedding Cookies. They are AWESOME!

[845257]

I made this cookie last Christmas and it was a definite hit! I've passed this recipe on to my family and am now submitting to another cookie thread. Re