How to Make Eggnog

Nothing says "holiday spirit" like a glass of eggnog! It tastes like Christmas, and when you combine just a few simple ingredients, you have a treat the whole family can enjoy. Learn how to make easy eggnog for your family, a traditional batch large enough for a party, or a glass of iced eggnog to enjoy on your own.

Steps

Easy Eggnog

1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you need to make easy eggnog:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • 4 egg yolks
   
   
   • 1 cup milk
   
   
   • 1 cup cream
   
   
   • 1/2 cups white sugar
   
   
   • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   
   
   • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
   
   
   • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
   
   
   • 3/4 cup rum or brandy
   
   
   
   


2. Create the milk mixture. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Cook on medium low heat until the mixture comes to a low boil, stirring occasionally.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Make the egg mixture. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the sugar, and beat or whisk until fluffy.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Add the milk mixture slowly to the egg mixture and cook. Whisk it in until the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan. Cook it over medium heat until it becomes thick, which takes about three to five minutes. Stir frequently; do not let the mixture boil this time.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Remove the eggnog from the burner. Let it cool for about an hour or two.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


6. Add the remaining the ingredients. Stir in the cream and rum or brandy. Mix the eggnog well.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


7. Cover the eggnog tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it overnight to let the flavors combine, and serve with a dash of nutmeg and a cinnamon stick garnish.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Traditional Eggnog

1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you need to make traditional party eggnog:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • 12 large eggs.
   
   
   • 4 1/2 cups milk.
   
   
   • 1 1/2 pints heavy whipping cream
   
   
   • 1 1/2 cups sugar
   
   
   • Ground nutmeg, to taste
   
   
   • 3 cups bourbon, brandy, or dark rum
   
   
   
   


2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Crack each egg in half over a bowl and gently transfer the yolk from shell to shell, letting the white drop into the bowl. ^[1]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • It's a good idea to separate the whites from one egg into a small bowl and if the separation is a success (no yolk gets in), pour the whites from that egg into the large bowl.
   
   
   • If you get yolk in the whites, save that egg for breakfast: whites will not whip when contaminated with egg yolk.
   
   
   
   


3. Beat the egg whites and sugar. On medium speed, beat the egg whites until they turn white and frothy. Add half the sugar and beat just until soft peaks begin to form.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Mix the egg yolks with sugar. Mix the remaining half of the sugar into the egg yolks. Beat the mixture with a whisk until it is well blended.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Combine the egg mixtures. Gently fold the egg yolks into the beaten egg whites, pouring slowly. The goal is to keep the fluffiness of the whites.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


6. Add the rum, milk and cream. Slowly pour the rum into the egg mixture, gently folding it in. If you're serving the eggnog to children, you can leave out the alcohol. Next add the milk and cream slowly to the bowl, gently stirring them in.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Start with 4 cups of milk, then add more later to adjust the consistency. If you're adding alcohol, you may not need any more milk.
   
   
   • Some cooks recommend heating the milk and cream before adding to the egg mixture to help thicken and slightly cook the eggs. If you're worried about eating raw eggs, follow this step.
   
   
   • Taste the eggnog and decide whether to add more alcohol.
   
   
   • For thicker eggnog, reduce the amount of milk by 1/2.
   
   
   
   


7. Whip the eggnog. Beat the reserved half of the cream until nearly stiff, then gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture. Transfer the finished eggnog to a large punch bowl for serving.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


8. Serve in clear glasses and top with whipped cream. Grate or sprinkle some nutmeg on top for a pretty touch.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Light Iced Eggnog

1. Gather your ingredients. Here's what you'll need to make light iced eggnog:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • 2 small eggs
   
   
   • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
   
   
   • 1/4 cup agave nectar
   
   
   • 1 1/2 cups almond milk
   
   
   • 3 oz cognac
   
   
   • 3 oz rum
   
   
   • 2 oz cream sherry
   
   
   
   


2. Blend the milk and ice. Fill the blender half full with ice cubes. Pour in the almond milk. Blend the milk with the ice until it becomes smooth and frothy.^[2]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Mix the eggs, agave nectar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and the agave nectar with a whisk, making sure they are well incorporated. Stir in the cinnamon.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Blend the remaining ingredients. Pour the egg mixture, the cognac, the rum, and the cream sherry into the blender. Puree the ingredients until they reach a smooth consistency.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Serve the eggnog. Pour the eggnog into a glass and serve with a straw. This iced eggnog makes a delicious Christmastime treat when you're in the mood for something light and fresh.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


6. Finished.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Video

Tips

• Be gentle during the entire mixing process. Don't over-beat the eggs or the cream; the whipped cream will begin to taste like butter when whipped too long.


• If you want to make non-alcoholic eggnog, simply skip the rum and the bourbon. Then folks who want to spike their nog can add liquor to their cup as they like.


• After a while, the mixture starts to separate to make a heavy fluid with a fluffy head, so when serving it, make sure you get a representative sample of each.


• If you're having a family get-together, double the ingredients and make one alcoholic batch and one regular batch.

Warnings

• While eggnog is a holiday tradition, increased awareness that consuming raw eggs has the potential to cause foodborne illness has led to some advocating cooking your nog. If you want to enjoy raw eggnog without the worry, you may buy pasteurized shell eggs from many grocery stores. Raw, non-alcoholic eggnog made with Davidson’s Safest Choice™ Eggs is safe for your entire family including children, pregnant women, and older adults. Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs are pasteurized in an all-natural warm water bath to eliminate the risk of Salmonella. ^[3] The traditional explanation concerning the safety of eggnog is that the liquor is strong enough to kill whatever problems the eggs introduce. Food poisoning studies show that the risk is reduced with strong liquor. ^[4] However, the FDA does not advise counting on alcohol to kill all the bacteria. ^[5]

Things You'll Need

• Mixing bowl


• Egg whisk or electric mixer


• Mixing spoon


• Heatproof glasses or mugs

Related wikiHows

• How to Make an Eggnog Martini


• How to Celebrate Christmas


• How to Have a Christmas Party


• How to Make Eggs Benedict


• How to Whisk Eggs

Sources and Citations

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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1q3l0WL