Effortless Eggnog

I found this recipe years ago and am now copying it here from our family cookbook binder. Enjoy!

Effortless “Eggnog”

Ingredients:

• ½ gallon cold milk, divided 
• 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant French Vanilla pudding mix
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. In your serving bowl (or in a small bowl), combine ¾ cup milk and pudding mix.  Whisk until smooth.  
2. Then whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  
3. If using the serving bowl, stir in remaining milk until all is well combined.  If using a small bowl, I get my half gallon of milk from a ½ empty full gallon of milk.  Then I pour the pudding mixture back into my milk jug, and then replace the lid and shake the jug to get everything combined.  You can’t use a regular ½ gallon jug because there is no extra room for the pudding, sugar, or spices.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Taste of Home's Eggnog Cheesecake

The other eggnog recipe I tried this holiday season was for this delicious cheesecake.  It's called an "eggnog" cheesecake because there is indeed eggnog in it.  However, instead, I would just call it a "holiday cheesecake" because it did not really taste that much like eggnog to me.  It was extremely mild, and mostly just tasted like a WONDERFUL cheesecake.

Looking through the recipe, I could not find a place to increase the amount of eggnog while decreasing another liquid.  So, my only other idea to boost the eggnog flavor was to see if you could buy eggnog concentrate or extract to add instead.  While some products seem to be available online, nothing was readily available for me to test in my home kitchen.  So, I am going to post this recipe as it originally appeared with the disclaimer that, while it was TOTALLY DELICIOUS, it was not very eggnog intense.

Click here for the original recipe from the Taste of Home website.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup eggnog
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• Dash ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom of pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Gradually stir in the eggnog, extract and nutmeg. Pour filling over crust.
4. Place in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
5. Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Yield: 12-16 servings.
6. Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with commercially prepared eggnog.

Marsha's Notes:

I did not use the water bath, and it turned out just fine. I wrote a note on the recipe that says "Water bath makes too moist?" So I'm not sure if I even tried that or not. Ha, ha! I used 3 layers of foil when I wrapped my pan and it still leaked a bit, so be careful there. I also marked my recipe as 50 (+) minutes and "Brown on top some." The flavor must have been subtle because I also wrote 1/4-1/2 tsp eggnog flavoring.

Betty Crocker's Overnight Eggnog Streusel Coffee Cake

First, let me just say that I am not a huge eggnog fan, but I can drink a SMALL amount every couple of years and be okay with it.  So, don't feel like you have to LOVE eggnog to enjoy this recipe.  That said, I found two recipes this holiday season that had eggnog in them. Feeling festive, I tried them both. This recipe was the second one I tried, and I really have been pleased with it. The first recipe I tried, I absolutely LOVED, but I am still tweaking it so I have to wait until later to post that one... so stayed tuned!

It was this Betty Crocker's Overnight Eggnog Streusel Coffee Cake. With a subtle eggnog taste, I thought it was really quite moist and delicious. And, festive! I will say that it took just a little bit of planning because it is an OVERNIGHT cake. But, for a different holiday treat, I really enjoyed it. My notes are at the bottom in italics, as always.

Overnight Eggnog Streusel Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Coffee Cake:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Eggnog Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons eggnog

Directions:

1. Grease bottom only of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, with shortening.
2. In small bowl, mix all Streusel Topping ingredients with fork until crumbly; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Beat in 1 cup eggnog, the sour cream, rum extract and eggs until blended. Stir in 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Spread in pan. Sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
4. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover pan; bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes.
5. In small bowl, mix all Eggnog Glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over coffee cake. For servings, cut into 5 rows by 3 rows.

Marsha's Notes:

My first comment is that I thought that, while delicious, this cake was more of a dessert cake than a breakfast coffee cake.  Just my opinion.  But, heated and served with a dollop of whipped topping, it was a great dessert!  I used non-stick cooking spray instead of shortening, and it worked just fine. I also thought there was perhaps not enough streusel topping, so I am planning on trying to double it next time. I also think, that while nutmeg seems to be the spice of choice for eggnog, that I might enjoy cinnamon in the topping more. So, another idea to experiment with.