I think eggnog is one of those things you either love or hate and I am definitely the former. In my mind, it’s a rich, creamy and perfectly spiced holiday delight. Doesn’t it just taste like Christmas? I usually buy eggnog from the store, but on Saturday night I decided that I wanted to make my own. We had all the ingredients on hand (which most people probably do) so it was a obviously fate. The only negative part was that it needs to chill overnight, so I wasn’t able to try it until Sunday morning.

Things I learned from making eggnog:

It’s unfrozen ice cream.

I mean, I knew that eggnog had eggs and sugar, but I guess I never really thought of it as ice cream base, which is what it is! That being said, you could easily throw this recipe into your ice cream maker if you would like to try eggnog ice cream. I made a 1/4 batch, just because I didn’t want to waste 12 (eek) egg yolks if I didn’t like it, but I think a 1/2 batch would be a good starting point as well. If you do a 1/4 batch, you really only get 4- 1/4 cup servings.

Also, you’ll notice there is a little alcohol in the recipe, you know, for good measure, but feel free to omit (or add more).

Bonus: You can use eggnog in place of creamer/milk in coffee, iced coffee and lattes. It’s pretty amazing!

Egg Nog
Ingredients:

12 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 cups milk, divided
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 -2 cups rum, brandy or whiskey (depending how boozy you like it)

Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Prepare a second large bowl with a fine mesh sieve set on top of it. Set both aside.

Heat 4 cups of milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla and cinnamon in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. When the mixture starts boiling, remove from heat immediately. Slowly pour the milk into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Place the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and turn heat back to medium. Again, stir the mixture constantly until it is thick and the mixture registers to 170F*. Once it reaches 170F, immediately remove from heat and pour mixture through the sieve and into the bowl. Stir in remaining 2 cups of milk, heavy cream, 2 tsp of vanilla, nutmeg and alcohol (optional). Chill overnight before serving.

*You can do this without a thermometer if you don’t have one, but cooking it by temperature guarantees the eggs are safe. If you don’t have a thermometer, the mixture is ready when it is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.

Recipe adapted slightly from AllRecipes