Eggnog cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 110 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1-1.5 tsp rum extract
• 1 small pinch of ground cloves
• 1 large yolk
• 4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 24 striped white and milk chocolate candies, such as Hershey Hugs, foil removed

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. In a large bowl, beat the butter with 1/2 cup sugar using a mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
3. Add the cream, rum extract, cloves, egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons of nutmeg and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough forms.
4. Form the dough into 24 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons of nutmeg. Roll the balls in the spiced sugar to coat completely and place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges are golden brown, about 14 minutes.
6. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, place them on a wire rack, and immediately press a chocolate candy into each cookie while it's still soft and hot. Don't move the cookies until the chocolate has completely set and they've cooled, at least 1 hour.