How To Make Homemade Eggnog

Christmas season calls for happiness, enjoyment and of course, eggnog! – This English drink has been a popular Christmas drink for ages and some would even say that the holidays are incomplete without it! And even though there are varying opinions about drinking eggnog, there is no going about the fact that it is an absolute delicacy.

However, if you happen to be one of those people who dislike this dessert drink, then we must say that it is because you have not tried out the right recipe yet. And while store-bought eggnog is not bad at all, there is always more taste in what is homemade! So here are two recipes that are sure to change your opinions about eggnogs!

Simple Eggnog vs Traditional Eggnog

If you have done your research right, then you already know that eggnog is typically made from milk, eggs, sugar, alcoholic spirits and spices like nutmeg or vanilla. However, the difference between simple and traditional eggnog is that the traditional one has raw eggs in it. This, in no way, alters the taste of your eggnog, so feel free to use your preferred recipe.

Simple Eggnog

Ingredients

• Egg yolks – 4
• Milk – 1 cup
• Cream – 1 cup
• White sugar – 1/2 cup
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon
• Ground Nutmeg – 1/4 teaspoon
• Cinnamon – 1/4 teaspoon
• Rum or brandy – 3/4 cup

Steps

• Preparing the milk concoction

Take a saucepan of your liking, preferably one that is of a considerable size. Pour the milk in it and incorporate the spices and the additional flavors – cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Now with your heat set at medium-low, bring the concoction to a boil while you stir it every once in a while. Remember, you cannot just leave the milk mixture to cook on its own. You need to stir it to make sure the milk does not get burnt. If you do not, your eggnog may not taste as good as you would expect it to be.

• Making the egg mix

Using either a large or medium-sized bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks and the ½ cup sugar together. You can also do this using a beater on low speed. This should only take 2 minutes to get the job done. Whatever you use, make sure the egg mix is lightweight and fluffy once you are done whisking or beating it.

• Combining and cooking the two mixes

This is a simple but crucial step that is required to be handled with a lot of care. The milk needs to be added to the egg mix gradually, a little by little, while you whisk the two together thoroughly. This is so the eggs are tempered. Otherwise, if you add all the milk in it straight away and fast, you may end up with curdled eggs or lumps of cooked eggs in the eggnog. The same will occur if you add the eggs to the milk in the heated saucepan.

Once you are done with the whisking, using your heat on medium, fill the saucepan with the milk-egg mix and cook for a maximum of 3-5 minutes. This time frame should be enough to cook as well as thicken the mixture.

• Taking the mixture off the heat

Take the custard-like thick eggnog off the heat after 3-5 minutes have passed. Give the eggnog an hour or two to cool down. You can also leave it to cool down to room temperature. Do whatever works best for you.

• Adding the cream and booze

When the eggnog has finally reached cooler temperatures, add the cream and your choice of booze to it. Mix all of it together till the nog looks well incorporated.

As we mentioned earlier, you can obviously make the eggnog without the alcohol. Whether it depends on the crowd you are entertaining or it is a matter of your own preference, stay stress-free because it will taste just as good! However, it may not last as long as the ones with booze because alcohol is a preservative itself.

• Refrigerating and serving

Transfer all of the eggnog into a pitcher and cover the top with a plastic cling wrap. Pop the pitcher in the refrigerator for a whole night before you serve it. This will let the eggnog reach a richer flavor as it chills overnight. Dust it with nutmeg powder when serving it and add a cinnamon stick if you like.

Traditional Eggnog

Ingredients

• Eggs – 12
• Milk – 4 ½ cups
• Heavy whipping cream – 1 ½ pint
• Sugar – 1 ½ cups
• Ground nutmeg
• Bourbon, brandy or dark rum – 3 cups

Steps

• Separating the egg

Separate the egg white and yolk as you normally would. If you have trouble, first divide the egg whites into a smaller bowl and then transfer it into a larger one. Do this for each egg instead of doing all at once. Any chances that you previously had of yolks or shells getting in the whites will become literally nonexistent. Remember, even a bit of yolk in the whites will prevent it from getting whipped.

• Beating the whites and sugar

Use a whisk or beater to whip the whites. It should basically look like white froth before you add half the sugar. Start beating once more and wait for the soft peaks to form which will stand firm for a moment before dissolving back into the whites, once you take the beater out.

• Combining yolks and sugar

Take the leftover sugar and add it to the yolks. Use a whisk to incorporate the two ingredients well. Just a reminder – this should be done separately from the whites.

• Mixing the whites and the yolks

For this step, you only need to fold the yolks into the whites after you pour the yolks gently. You need to retain the fuzziness from the previously beaten whites so apply sufficient pressure and stir as fast as required.

• Adding cream, milk and booze

This step depends on your preference. You can skip the alcohol if you like. But if you are incorporating it, then add it before you add the other ingredients and fold it into the egg mix. Follow this step with the addition of the milk and half of the cream. Stir well to ensure everything is blended.

Use a heated milk and cream concoction if you are not a fan of raw eggs. However, if you are a fan of thick eggnogs, cut the amount of milk to half and adjust the amount of alcohol according to your taste.

• Whipping the cream

The leftover cream needs to be whipped until stiff peaks form in a separate bowl. Add this to the eggnog, folding to blend everything together.

• Serving

You could use a punch bowl or glass as a way of serving. Garnish with nutmeg and decorate with more whipped cream. Refrigerate if you need to which will keep the nog safe for about a week.

Wrapping Up

Eggnog does not always need to contain alcohol and this makes it perfect for non-alcoholics! Remember, things may seem a little confusing at the first but once you get a grip on the recipe, there’s no stopping! You can also add or change any of the flavors you want to.

So, those were the two delicious eggnog recipes to help you get started with for the holidays. Even though all the guidelines may make it look like preparing eggnog is a hard task, however, be rest assured that it will definitely be worth it once you take a sip from it!

Sources:

1. How To Make Eggnog – WikiHow
2. How To Make Homemade Eggnog – The Kitchn