Creamy Eggnog

59 Ratings

5 Reviews

Prep 35 min
Total 2 hr 35 min
Servings 10

A rich holiday classic made even better with a soft custard base.

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated September 28, 2006

Ingredients

Soft Custard

3

eggs, slightly beaten
1/3

cup granulated sugar
Dash salt
2 1/2

cups milk
1

teaspoon vanilla

Eggnog

1

cup whipping cream
2

tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2

teaspoon vanilla
1/2

cup light rum
1

or 2 drops yellow food color, if desired
Ground nutmeg

Steps

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1

In 2-quart heavy saucepan, stir eggs, granulated sugar and salt until well mixed. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture just coats a metal spoon; remove from heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Place saucepan in cold water until custard is cool. (If custard curdles, beat vigorously with hand beater until smooth.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
2

Just before serving, in chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped cream, the rum and food color into custard.
3

Pour custard mixture into small punch bowl. Drop remaining whipped cream in mounds onto custard mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator up to 2 days.

Rum is the most common spirit found in eggnog recipes, but whiskey and brandy have also played a part in this traditional holiday drink.
To substitute for the rum, use 2 tablespoons rum extract and 1/3 cup milk instead.
Nutmeg is the classic spice used in eggnog, but you can sprinkle with cinnamon instead, if you prefer.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 160
Calories from Fat: 90

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 10g; 16%
Saturated Fat 6g 29% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 95mg; 32%
Sodium: 70mg; 3%
Potassium: 130mg; 4%
Total Carbohydrate: 12g; 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 12g
Protein: 4g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 10%; 10%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 10%; 10%
Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 1/2 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Holiday season means its time for chilling with your family, being thankful for the great things in your life, and celebrating with a drink here and there.

Since you’ll be entertaining when you gather your loved ones together, you should be ready with a beverage. Whether you gather round the Christmas tree, menorah or Festivus pole, you’ll find a cocktail in our guide to mark the occasion. Just be careful and don’t have too many - the New Year is coming, and you don’t want those resolutions to be stricter than they have to be.

For Christmas

Christmas is about eggnog, give a little gift to your guests by not settling on the old-fashioned recipe. The easiest thing you can do is use a premium spirit in your drink – a bottle of rum like Brugal 1888 may be more expensive than the no-name brand that you’d normally reach for, but it will make the sugar and spice in the drink all that nice. Build off of this recipe, but reach for ingredients that you’d actually want to open, if they were left for you under the tree as a gift.

For Hanukkah

There aren’t many cocktails that were specially designed to celebrate the festival of lights, but having a drink for Hanukkah is totally simple. Mulled wine will warm you up, and there are plenty of kosher reds that you can use in the recipe (though, we’d advise against drinking it for all of the eight nights). Just go with this recipe for mulled red wine sangria and substitute a kosher label in place of the usual vino that you would use. True, it’s a little harder to find, but it’s the holiday season – make the extra effort and your guests will be glad.

For Festivus

If you’re warming up for the “feats of strength,” you don’t have to worry about a great holiday cocktail. After all, if you celebrate this Seinfeld-inspired holiday (which has actually become a thing in the land of urban hipsters), you’re not into decorum. Two words: pickle back. A shot of your favorite whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice. You can’t go wrong with that while you’re dancing around the aluminum pole.

For New Year's Eve

It’s easy to impress people on the last night of the year. Everyone will want to drink Champagne, and you only need one ingredient to make that glass of bubbly stand out. Chambord turns that sparkling wine into a Kir Royale – a fancy-sounding drink that only takes two minutes to make. Just pour a shot of the sweet liqueur into your glass of bubbly and you’ll make it a New Year’s party to remember.

After The Festivities

The holiday season is a busy one, and when you’re not entertaining, you may want to unwind with a beverage that is seasonal, easy to make, and a tad celebratory. A classic hot toddy takes as long to whip up as a glass of tea, and it certainly will make you feel better once it sets in. Add some honey, a bit of brandy, a healthy pour of lemon, and you’ll wish it was the holidays all year round.

nybarfly knows his drinks and also where to get the best sauce in Manhattan. Check out his blog site, NYBarfly and his Tablespoon profile — be sure to continue to check Rock UR Party for more tips and suggestions for discovering new bevvies.