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By Ann-Marie12 Comments
Heading to a Christmas cookie exchange? My favorite Christmas cookie growing up were these Nutmeg Logs, easy to make and so yummy!One of my favorite Christmas cookies that my mom made when I was growing up are Nutmeg Logs. They are almost a shortbread cookie base, with a layer of stiff icing on top and the slightest hint of nutmeg. They’re buttery and light, and the perfect cookie to have with coffee or milk!
When holidays roll around we always find excuses to overindulge. But as I learned on one of my grocery tours with a registered dietitian this summer, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor when you’re making small changes, such as switching to a lighter cream cheese.
The theme from nutrition experts seems to be moderation. If you have a favorite Christmas cookie, make it as you like – butter and all – but limit your serving size. When you’re baking your own cookies, you have ultimate control over how large or small you make your cookies. Similar to the theory of a smaller plate for smaller serving size, trick yourself by making your cookies slightly smaller – just don’t use that as your excuse to have three or four more!
I had such good luck using Kroger Cream Cheese &Greek Yogurt in my Skinny Pumpkin Dip recipe that I’m incorporating it into my mom’s icing recipe for these cookies.
Nutmeg Logs
Ingredients for cookies (makes about 36):
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
Ingredients for frosting:
3 oz. Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened (I found at Kroger, or use 1/3 fat Neufchatel as an alternative)
2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp rum or rum flavoring (could use almond instead)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbs half & half or milk
Nutmeg for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixer, cream butter with vanilla and almond flavorings. Gradually beat in sugar, then blend in egg. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, nutmeg and salt. Add to butter mixture and blend well. Dough will lookcrumbly.
Grease or lay parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Divide and shape doughinto long rolls around 1″ thick. Cut into 2″ to 2 1/2″ sections and separate by an inch or so (they don’t spread much at all).
Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes. While the cookies are baking, it may be a good time to wash your mixer beaters unless you have an extra set, to use for the frosting. Cool on wire rack before frosting.
To make frosting, cream together the Greek yogurt cream cheese with butter until well blended. Add in flavorings; mix well. Slowly add in powdered sugar, stopping to scrape sides a few times. Mix in half & half until well combined.
Spread a light layer onto cookies and before the icing hardens, sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I hope you enjoy these light, buttery Nutmeg Log cookies as much as I do!
If you’re on Pinterest, be sure to pin this recipe to your desserts or Christmas boards!
This post was originally published November 25, 2015.
You may also enjoy:
Brown Sugar Shortbread – another great Christmas cookie exchange recipe!
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
20 Christmas Treats for Kids
Print
Nutmeg Logs Christmas Cookie Recipe
CourseDessert
Servings36
AuthorAnn-Marie Rohe / Chaos Is Bliss
Ingredients
1cupunsalted buttersoftened
1 1/2tspvanilla extract
1/2tspalmond extract
3/4cupsugar
1egg
3cupsflour
1 1/2tspnutmeg
1/4tspsalt
3oz.Greek yogurt cream cheesesoftened (I found at Kroger, or use 1/3 fat Neufchatel as an alternative)
2Tbsunsalted buttersoftened
1tsprum or rum flavoringcould use almond instead
1/2tspvanilla extract
3cupspowdered sugar
1Tbshalf & half or milk
Nutmeg for sprinkling
Instructions
Nutmeg Logs
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a mixer, cream butter with vanilla and almond flavorings.Gradually beat in sugar, then blend in egg.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, nutmeg and salt.Add to butter mixture and blend well.
Grease or lay parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.Divide and shape dough into long rolls around 1" thick.
Cut into 2" to 2 1/2" sections and separate by an inch or so (they don't spread much at all).Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes.Cool on wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream together the Greek yogurt cream cheese with butter until well blended.Add in flavorings; mix well.
Slowly add in powdered sugar, stopping to scrape sides a few times.Mix in half & half until well combined.
Spread a light layer onto cookies and before the icing hardens, sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.
That's according to a new Google Trends report released Thursday. According to the data, sugar cookies, gingerbread and peanut butter blossoms are the most popular cookies in America.
History. Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from Medieval Europe biscuits, when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit were introduced into the west.
After baking, allow cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze them, then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the name and date. Squeeze out extra air and place flat in the freezer. To save space, you can flat-stack freezer bags.
In fact, cookies may have become popular at this time of year because, unlike pies and cakes, they can be stored for longer periods of time. Before refrigeration, it was possible for cookies to be baked in advance and kept on hand for visitors or given away as gifts.
The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.
Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico”.
It wasn't until very recently, around 1938, that chocolate chip cookies were first invented. Unlike a lot of other things, the chocolate chip cookie was not invented by accident. During the 1930s, a chef named Ruth Graves Wakefield decided to give something different to her customers.
This tradition started in the 1700s, when German settlers in Pennsylvania brought over the traditional unleavened, easy-to-store treat from Europe. Pliable sugar cookie dough is easy to roll and cut into shapes, which adds to its popularity at Christmastime today.
As for the cookies—made for cookie swaps, church potlucks, household snacking, and Santa's plate—there is one little cheat: make now, freeze for later. You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December.
Aim to make them about two weeks in advance if you keep them at room temperature. Making them one week or a few days in advance is even better if you are going for the freshest possible cookies. Remember that you can always make a new batch if you accidentally keep your cookies out for too long and they become stale.
In most cases, I prefer to freeze cookie dough over freezing baked cookies. That way, you still get the nice homemade smell and softness of the cookies when they come out of the oven. But if you want to get the whole job done, you can certainly bake the cookies, then freeze them later.
For so many around the world, cookies symbolize that spirit of giving. In all shapes and flavors, they're a bite-size emblem for generosity, solidarity, and seasonal joy. Here is the recipe for the first recorded American Christmas cookie.
If you're making unfrosted cookies like shortbread or drop cookies, sprinkle the sugar on before baking. If you're icing the cookies, bake them, then decorate, and then shake the sugar on while the icing is still wet.
There are staples, like a Christmas tree and a gingerbread man, but there are also cutters for those who don't celebrate Christmas, like the snowflake or the mitten. Grab this cookie cutout set.
Speaking of holiday baking, nearly half of the country has a favorite Christmas cookie. Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three.
You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!
What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one. Ever the crowd-pleaser, the chocolate chip cookie is renowned for its balance of richness and sweetness.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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