If you’re participating in a Cookie Exchange, you can bring the flavors of the season with these super easy Caramel Eggnog Split Second Cookies! The addition of a few tablespoons of eggnog to the cookie dough gives these sweet little bites a soft hint of holiday spice, while gooey caramel filling brings it home for the ultimate Christmas cookie.
Split Second Cookies
Split second cookies are a shortbread-like cookie that are typically filled with jam or another filling. The unique thing about split second cookies is that, rather than being filled individually like thumbprint cookies, the dough is rolled into a long rope shape and an indentation is made down the center using the handle of a wooden spoon. This “trough” is then filled with the desired filling, baked, and then sliced into individual pieces.
Ingredients for Cookies
One of the things I love about these cookies is that they come together with just a few ingredients that I almost always have on hand, especially during the holidays. To make these cookies, you’ll need:
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggnog
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Desired filling. In this case, I suggest a thick, store-bought caramel sauce. See below for more filling suggestions.
You might have noticed that these eggnog cookies do not contain any actual egg in the dough! This development came about years ago when I first made these cookies because I was halving the recipe and wasn’t entirely sure how to halve an egg. I omitted the egg altogether and guess what? The cookie dough still worked! I kept this an eggless cookie dough because it actually works out well for those times you want to bake cookies but realize you’re out of eggs.
Eggnog Flavor in Cookies
Eggnog can be a polarizing seasonal offering. Maybe it’s the thought of eggs in a beverage or perhaps it’s the richness of the drink; in my experience, people either really love it or really hate it.
Eggnog is typically thick and creamy, with the richness of melted ice cream. The flavors can vary between store-bought brands or homemade versions, but most eggnog is sweet with notes of vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and other warm spices. Many eggnog recipes also call for liquor — either bourbon or rum.
Personally, I’m a fan of eggnog, which is why I decided to try to create a cookie with the same flavors! Since I almost always have a small carton of store-bought eggnog in my refrigerator during the holiday season, I simply used a few tablespoons of eggnog in the cookie dough to infuse the cookies with holiday flavor.
Filling for Cookies
I really loved the idea of combining sweet caramel with eggnog flavors, so I filled the indentation in these eggnog cookies with a thick, store-bought caramel sauce (from Trader Joe’s), but you can use other fillings for these cookies as well.
Typically, split second cookies are filled with jam; raspberry or apricot jams would be a nice addition. Chocolate ganache is another delicious idea.
A note about using homemade caramel sauce: I know there are overachievers out there who will be tempted to use homemade caramel sauce in these cookies. I’m all for homemade everything, however, in my experience, homemade caramel sauce can be a bit too thin and runny for the filling. Also, the caramel sauce will cook and caramelize a bit further as the cookies are filled before they’re baked.
As I mentioned, I think thick store-bought caramel in a jar is the best option here, but if you’re determined to try a different approach or can’t get store-bought caramel, you can make your own by combing 15 unwrapped caramels with a tablespoon of eggnog, then heating it in the microwave in 15-30 second intervals, stirring until it’s melted and smooth.
How to Shape Split Second Cookies
Shaping these cookies is fairly simple. First, you’ll want to flour the surface on which you’re rolling the dough (as well as your hands) so that you don’t end up with a sticky situation as the dough will be soft before it’s refrigerated. (I’ve tried refrigerating the dough before rolling, but then it became hard to work with, so I prefer shaping before chilling.)
Scoop the soft dough from the mixer and knead it a few times on the floured surface just to coat it in flour and make it easier to work with. Form a ball, then flatten it a bit and divide it into four equal pieces.
Roll each of the pieces into a rope shape — about 10-12 inches long. Use the handle of a wooden spoon or something similar to create the trough in the center of each cookie. Just press down until an indentation is created. Don’t push too far down or the dough will be too thin on the bottom of the cookie.
Carefully round off the ends of each piece so that the filling doesn’t spill out during baking. Fill the center of each rope shape and refrigerate until firm, about 20-30 minutes. This will help set the dough and the filling so that it holds its shape during baking.
How This Recipe Came to Be
A few years ago I started a family tradition of hosting a ladies’ cookie party around Christmas time. The idea started out as an attempt at executing a legit cookie exchange, but it turned out I was the only one who was interested in actually baking my contribution rather than picking up some treats from the bakery or grocery store. {Ain’t no shame, but I could buy those any old time!}
So, instead of getting all rule-followy and asking everyone to buy — ahem, bake — a dozen cookies per guest and blah blah blah, I just omitted the word “Exchange” from the invitation and henceforth hosted a “Cookie Party”, where the terminology was vague but the intent was not. There would indeed be cookies and we would for sure party.
So, everyone would come over, sit around and eat cookies at my house. {Sometimes in Christmas pj’s, often while working on a festive craft project together, and always with our favorite Christmas tunes playing in the background. It wasn’t just a cookie free-for-all, you know.} We know that’s what they all wanted to begin with.
I hope you enjoy these cookies for your own holiday festivities!
Caramel Eggnog Split Second Cookies
