2 ⅓cupsall-purpose flour,fluffed, spooned and leveled
2tspcorn starch
2tspbaking powder
½tspcoarse Kosher salt(if using table salt, use half the amount)
¼tspground cardamom
¼tspground nutmeg
¼cupgranulated sugar,for rolling the dough balls
Buttercream
½cupunsalted butter,softened to room temperature
1cuppowdered sugar
1tspmeringue powder(optional)
¾tspvanilla bean paste
2tbspeggnog
¼tspground nutmeg
Instructions
Cookies
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter with 3/4 cup sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix on low for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, cardamom and nutmeg. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls, mixing just until combined.
Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 18 equal portions. TIP: This is easiest to do if you weigh all the dough, divide that number by 18, then weigh out each portion. So if you have 26 ounces of dough, you would weigh out around 1.4 ounces of dough per cookie.
Roll each portion of dough into a ball, then coat the dough balls in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Cover and chill the dough balls for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of nonstick baking paper or parchment paper.
Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for about 11 1/2 - 12 minutes, until the edges are set, and the centers look slightly underdone.Bang the pan 3-4 times on the counter to help the centers of the cookies settle down and flatten a little. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Buttercream
With an electric mixer, stand or hand-held, beat the butter for 1 minute, until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, until combined, then add the meringue powder, vanilla and eggnog. Beat for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Spread the buttercream onto the cooled cookies, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
Keyword Christmas, Eggnog, Frosted, High Altitude, Soft Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookies