These eggnog recipes turn a holiday flavor into frosted cookies, a custard cake, cheesecake, cupcakes, cookie cups, and baked French toast. Choose cookies for a baking afternoon, a chilled dessert for dinner, or French toast for a slow morning with friends.
A glass of eggnog can be the whole plan. But a cookie with a thick swirl of frosting is a strong reason to keep looking. This roundup brings together recipes from Fiona Dowling at Just so Tasty, Toni Dash at Boulder Locavore, Maria Lichty at Two Peas & Their Pod, and Olivia at Liv for Cake. Each section sends you to its creator for the full recipe.
There are different kinds of baking here, so start with the day you have. A quick batch of cookies calls for a different plan from a cheesecake that needs to chill. If you're putting together a larger spread, our cranberry recipe roundup has more holiday baking ideas to pair with one eggnog choice.
Choose an Eggnog Recipe for Your Plans
Pick the recipe by serving style and waiting time before you choose a topping. A cookie tray, a plated dessert, and an overnight breakfast each ask for something different.
| Your plan | Recipe to look at first | What to check before you start |
|---|---|---|
| A cookie with plenty of frosting | Eggnog cookies with eggnog frosting | Dough chilling and time for the cookies to cool |
| A cookie without decorating | Eggnog snickerdoodles | The sugar-and-nutmeg coating |
| A dessert with distinct layers | Eggnog magic cake | Full cooling time before cutting |
| A small dessert with a gingerbread base | Eggnog cheesecake cookie cups | Muffin tins and time to chill the filling |
| A dessert to slice at dinner | Eggnog cheesecake | The water bath and long cooling and chilling steps |
| A frosted treat in its own wrapper | Eggnog cupcakes | Cooling time before adding buttercream |
| Breakfast for a group | Baked eggnog French toast | Several hours or an overnight soak |
The snickerdoodles are the exception if your goal is to use up an open carton. They get their eggnog flavor from other ingredients rather than liquid eggnog. They're still a fitting choice for an eggnog-themed cookie plate.
1. Eggnog Cookies with Eggnog Frosting
Fiona Dowling's frosted eggnog cookies are the choice for a soft cookie with a thick buttercream finish. The cookie and frosting both use eggnog, with nutmeg adding the familiar spice.
Recipe by Fiona Dowling at Just so Tasty.
These have a softer, more cake-like texture than the snickerdoodles below. Fiona uses store-bought eggnog in her recipe testing and explains why the dough needs time to chill. The total time on her recipe card includes more than the minutes spent mixing, so read that part before fitting them into your afternoon.
Choose these when decorating is part of the fun. Spreading frosting with a knife gives each cookie its own little swirl. You don't need to plan a whole tray of detailed shapes to make a holiday cookie plate feel special.
If you'd like a second flavor beside them, our cookie recipes for a baking afternoon can help you build a mixed tray. Pick the second recipe before shopping so you can check which ingredients overlap.
Get the full eggnog cookie recipe from Fiona at Just so Tasty.
2. Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Fiona's eggnog snickerdoodles bring the flavor to a chewy cookie with a sugar-and-nutmeg coating. Choose them when you'd rather roll cookies than frost them.
Recipe by Fiona Dowling at Just so Tasty.
There's no liquid eggnog in this dough. Egg yolks, nutmeg, and baking extracts create the flavor, while cream of tartar gives the cookie its snickerdoodle character. That distinction matters if you're choosing a recipe to use an open carton.
Fiona lists a 40-minute total time and no dough-chilling step. That makes these a different kind of project from her frosted cookies. You can compare the two recipes by texture and the time you want to spend, rather than treating them as the same cookie with different toppings.
For a small cookie plate, choose one of the two. For a baking afternoon centered on eggnog, they give you two clear finishes: one spread with frosting and one coated in spice and sugar.
Get the full eggnog snickerdoodle recipe from Fiona at Just so Tasty.
3. Eggnog Magic Cake
Toni Dash's eggnog magic cake is the option for a dessert with a soft cake top and a custard layer underneath. One batter separates into distinct layers as it bakes.
Recipe by Toni Dash at Boulder Locavore.
The cut pieces are the reason to choose this cake. You get a golden sponge top, a smooth custard middle, and a thin base. A light dusting of powdered sugar finishes the squares without a separate batch of frosting.
This is a dessert to plan ahead. Toni's directions call for the cake to cool fully before cutting, so the finished layers can hold their shape. Her page also gives an extra-eggnog option for the batter. Follow that version when making your baking plan.
Choose the magic cake when you want to bring one pan to the table and cut portions from it. It gives the dessert spread a different shape and texture from a plate of cookies, without adding another frosting project to your day.
Get the full eggnog magic cake recipe from Toni at Boulder Locavore.
4. Eggnog Cheesecake Cookie Cups
Olivia's eggnog cheesecake cookie cups pair a chewy gingerbread base with a fluffy cheesecake filling. They suit a dessert tray where you want small, separate portions.
Recipe by Olivia at Liv for Cake.
The cookie cups bake in regular muffin tins. Their centers hold the pale eggnog filling, so these have a different structure from a sandwich cookie or a frosted cupcake. The gingerbread base brings molasses and warm spices to the mix.
Read through the filling and chilling steps before choosing these for the same day. The bake is only one part of the project. You'll also want enough muffin-tin space for the batch listed on Olivia's recipe card.
These would fit a dessert-and-a-movie plan, especially when you're choosing one treat to set out before everyone arrives. If the get-together is becoming a yearly thing, our Christmas traditions to start with friends has more ways to build a plan around time together.
Get the full eggnog cheesecake cookie cup recipe from Olivia at Liv for Cake.
5. Eggnog Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Fiona's eggnog cheesecake is the choice for a full-size dessert with a creamy filling and a spiced cookie base. The gingersnap crust gives the pale filling a clear contrast.
Recipe by Fiona Dowling at Just so Tasty.
This recipe uses a springform pan and a water bath. It also needs time to cool and chill, so it's a better fit for a planned dessert than a last-minute baking idea. Read the full timeline before choosing the day you want to serve it.
Fiona includes an extract option in the filling. Use the exact choice and amount from her recipe rather than swapping ingredients by guesswork. Her notes cover the pan setup and the steps that help the filling bake evenly.
Choose this cheesecake when slicing and serving dessert is part of the evening. You can keep the rest of the menu smaller, bring out the cake, and let everyone choose a slice. You don't need three other eggnog desserts beside it to carry the theme.
Get the full eggnog cheesecake recipe from Fiona at Just so Tasty.
6. Eggnog Cupcakes
Fiona's eggnog cupcakes put the flavor in both the cake and the buttercream. Choose them when you want a frosted dessert that already comes in individual portions.
Recipe by Fiona Dowling at Just so Tasty.
The pale cupcakes have nutmeg in the batter, with a generous swirl of eggnog frosting on top. Fiona shows a sprinkle of nutmeg and a cinnamon stick as one way to finish them. The cupcake is the serving; you won't need to slice a cake once friends arrive.
Her notes explain how to bake the cupcakes ahead and frost them later. That split can help if your kitchen is busy on the day you serve them. Check the full storage notes on her page when choosing your timing.
These are a different choice from the frosted cookies, even though both have eggnog buttercream. Go with cupcakes for a cake-like dessert in wrappers. Go with cookies for a tray you can arrange beside a second kind of holiday bake.
Get the full eggnog cupcake recipe from Fiona at Just so Tasty.
7. Baked Eggnog French Toast
Maria Lichty's baked eggnog French toast brings the theme to breakfast. Bread pieces soak in an eggnog mixture, then bake with a cinnamon-and-nutmeg streusel topping.
Recipe by Maria Lichty at Two Peas & Their Pod.
Maria's recipe uses a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and calls for several hours or an overnight soak. It's the choice to look at when you'd like to do part of brunch prep before the morning begins.
This is a shared breakfast bake rather than separate slices made one at a time. The bread chunks, custard, and crumb topping give each portion a different shape from stovetop French toast. Maple syrup is an optional finish on the original page.
Before inviting people over, check the full recipe and decide what else belongs on the table. One breakfast bake, a fruit bowl, and drinks may be enough for the plan you have in mind. Leave yourself time to sit down with everyone, too.
Get the full baked eggnog French toast recipe from Maria at Two Peas & Their Pod.
Before You Pick Up the Eggnog
Read the original recipe's ingredient list, equipment, and full timeline before you shop. A carton of eggnog may be the starting point, but the pan and waiting time can decide which recipe fits your day.
Start with the serving plan. For a cookie plate, compare the frosted cookies and snickerdoodles. For a dessert you can prepare ahead, look closely at the cheesecake or magic cake timeline. For brunch, open the French toast recipe before the night you want to serve it.
Then check what your kitchen already has. A regular muffin tin suits cookie cups and cupcakes. A springform pan serves a different job. Borrowing the right pan from a friend can be part of the plan if you don't want to buy one for a single bake.
Keep each creator's page open when you're ready to make your choice. Their full directions, recipe notes, and updates belong with the recipe. This roundup helps you find the bake that fits, whether that's a tray of nutmeg cookies or French toast waiting for a slow morning.
