Homemade is usually better, and eggnog is no exception – you’ll think twice before going back to the store-bought stuff after trying this! Not only is it delicious, but it’s easy, too. From start to finish was less than half an hour, 15 minutes of which were downtime while the mixture was chilling in the freezer. Once it’s done you’ve got carte blanche to wrap yourself in a robe, settle in in front of a roaring fire, and contemplate which holiday movies will warm your cockles most (I’m partial to Nightmare Before Christmas, myself, but I’m not anti the argument that Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie).
I got the recipe from Alton Brown and modified it to make it a little less rich. He also gives you the option to make an entirely uncooked version, which drops the total time down to 15 minutes. I went with cooked, though, since mentally a beverage made from cooked eggs is more enticing than a mug of raw egg eggnog (though I’m sure both are equally tasty!).
This recipe only makes about four mugs worth of eggnog, so if you’re like me and you have a holiday party coming up, you can multiply all the ingredients to make a larger batch to share. It’s also customizable in terms of booze – you can leave it out entirely, put in what’s listed below (which gives you a hint of boozy flavor), or add in more to amp it up and get real toasty. I personally prefer the taste of spiced rum to bourbon in eggnog, but we didn’t have any on hand so I went with Bulleit Rye from my husband’s stash.
Yield: 4 large servings Total Time: <30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2.5 cups skim (2%) milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces bourbon or spiced rum (optional)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 egg whites
Directions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream, and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually pour the hot mixture (a few tablespoons at a time) into the egg and sugar mixture, stirring as you add it. Then return everything to the pot and cook until it reaches 160 degrees F.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
- In the standing mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture and ladle into cups to serve, with the option of sprinkling a little more nutmeg on the top.
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