When life gives you a snow day, I suggest making cookies to share the luck and happiness.
I had never heard of Nutmeg Logs before I queried everyone about their favorite holiday treats. But when several of you listed them as your fave cookies, I knew I had to learn more. One look at them online, and I was hooked. One taste, and they’re a new staple in my own holiday rotation.
They might not look like much, but these cookies are little powerhouses of flavor. Between the hefty dose of nutmeg and the rum-buttercream frosting, they’re great little festive treats for at home or taking to neighbors. Of course, in the lifelong tradition of me messing with tried and true recipes, I added little branch nubs to my logs to make them more tree-like. Couldn’t help myself, but I think they’re actually pretty cute this way.
While I don’t see these as a Westerosi dish, that’s no reason to not make them. Have a plan for the finished cookies, though, or you might regret eating them all yourself…
Nutmeg Log Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups flour
Frosting:
- 3 Tbs. butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- dash of rum
- 4-6 tsp. milk or cream
- extra nutmeg for topping
Start by making the dough: cream together the sugar and butter, then add in the vanilla, egg, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add in the flour until you have a dough that is no longer super sticky; I had to switch from spoon to mixing by hand before it all came together, but that should give you a good guideline for when it’s good to go. Form into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least an hour.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide your chilled dough in half, and put the remaining half back in the fridge while you make the first round of cookies. Roll the dough out into a long log no more than an inch thick. Cut into pieces about 3-4″ long, and set on the baking sheet. If you’d like to add those little branch nubs, roll out some of the dough smaller than the rest, and cut into short pieces with one angled end. Press the angled side onto the larger log dough, smoothing with your finger or a small spoon to help fuse the pieces together. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look too fancy, as the frosting will cover all that.
When your baking sheet is full, bake the cookies for 12 minutes. When done, remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat this with the other half of the dough.
While the cookies are baking, you can make your frosting. Using a hand mixer or your own brute strength, cream together the butter, vanilla, rum, and some of the powdered sugar. Gradually add the rest of the sugar, followed by just enough of the milk, a dash at a time, to make a smooth, spreadable frosting. Give it a taste to make sure you like the balance of rum. Taste it again to make sure. Right.
When the cookies are completely cooled, cover them with frosting. A spoon will work for this, but I found that spreading it with a finger worked best for me and gave me the most control. When the frosting is just starting to set, score it with a small fork to give the appearance of tree bark. Sprinkle with a bit more nutmeg, and enjoy!