Milk & Cookies for Santa

As a kid I always left out cookies and milk for Santa! I looked forward to it every year, picking out the right kind of cookies to leave for him and got so much satisfaction the next morning seeing he ate them :)

This is my adult version of milk and cookies as I combined them all into one yummy treat! I also replaced the “milk” with eggnog. Although it's eggnog frosting rather than actual eggnog alone. However, if you did want to drink a sip or two of just eggnog out of these gingerbread cups, you certainly can as these strong cookies will hold up well!

Ingredients for gingerbread cup: This is the same recipe I use for gingerbread cookies every year at Christmas. This dough is so dense and strong, it holds up very well as a cup and will hold the filling nicely!

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons ground cloves (do not use whole cloves)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla

In two separate bowls, mix together all dry ingredients.

In mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and egg on medium speed. Once it is well blended, add molasses and vanilla.

Slowly mix in dry ingredients until well blended. Let dough sit at room temperature for at least two hours.

Eggnog Filling:

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (add more or less to get desired consistency).

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup of your favorite store bought eggnog

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Using an electric mixer, combine the room temperature butter with powdered sugar on low speed until well-blended and creamy.

Once it is smooth and creamy, add the vanilla, eggnog, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Step#1

For each cup, you will need a long sheet of foil and roll it up into a log shape

Step #2

Use that log-shaped foil to create a small cup-sized shape that will fit snug into a mini muffin tin.

Step #3

Once all your foil cups are lined into your muffin tin, spray nonstick spray inside each one.

Step #4

Take a spoon full of dough and push it into each foil cup, making a well inside and pushing down with your thumb.

Step #5

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes until dough has gotten slightly darker in color and puffed up. As soon as you remove from the oven, quickly use the stem of a spoon and re-create that hole in the center of the cup while the dough is still warm. It will harden into a cup shape.

Step #6

Once your cookies have completely cooled, carefully unwrap the foil from the cookies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

You can either use a spoon or a piping bag to pipe the eggnog frosting into the gingerbread cup. Garnish with a little cinnamon or nutmeg and set it out for Santa!

FUN FACT: Gingerbread cookies contain a super healthy spice. You guessed it, GINGER! Ginger contains iron, which helps with energy production and supports tissue health. It also contains Niacin and Folate, which promote healthy cell production and development. (NOTE: You should not eat a ton of cookies to get the health benefits of ginger)!