It’s a wonder to me that after The Great Eggnog Incident of ‘98 I even drink eggnog anymore, let alone love it! It was a day we as a family experienced once a month, where my dad did his usual trip to the bigger town in Southern Idaho 45 minutes away to go do a gargantuan Costco and Winco trip--big enough to stock our freezers to feed our family of ten for the next month. When he’d pull up after coming home we knew the drill--we’d all head outside and form a line, where my dad was positioned right by the trunk and we’d all take turns heading in with a big armful and putting items away as we went until all the groceries were gone. 


We were always hoping it was Dad instead of Mom doing the Costco and Winco run because Dad would get the good stuff that wasn’t on the list :) He’d splurge a little on desserts and seasonal items that my mom wouldn’t get, as she was pretty strong at just sticking to her grocery list. So I loved around Christmas time when he would get a couple gallons of eggnog. We were a big eggnog drinking family--usually diluted down with Sprite, or possibly milk. (Do any of you dilute it with Sprite? It seems it is a bit uncommon, but I’m wondering if any of you have tried this?) 

Anyway, in the lineup for the December Costco trip of ‘98, I was handed one of the beloved gallons of eggnog and it was one of the horrible slow-mo moments you relive again and again in your head 20 years later. I was bringing the gallon inside, but I tripped on the step of the doorway! The egg nog gallon came tumbling out of my arms and hit the ground hard. Not just any ground--the landing of the top of the carpeted stairs where naturally the lid popped off and the gallon proceeded to bounce all around and down the stairs splashing eggnog absolutely everywhere in its path. It was bad! My parents weren’t too mad at me about it, bless their hearts, and we got it professionally cleaned shortly after, just in time for the holidays :) 

You’d think something as traumatizing as this might steer me clear of eggnog but I got through it and lived to tell the tale. I still absolutely just love egg nog and love it in all its forms. I know there are plenty of ways to spike it and get your fix in your desired way but I am actually an eggnog purist. My favorite way to drink it is just straight up--eggnog neat. 


However, if perhaps you have anyone in your family who isn’t the biggest fan of drinking it, you can still enjoy it in other ways like desserts or baked goods. Take these cookies I am going to share with you today. These are a fantastic sugardoodle recipe with eggnog right in the dough, as well as a glaze to drizzle on top that has a bit of eggnog in it as well. Add some cute Christmas sprinkles and you have a beautiful, chewy, delightful cookie for a cookie exchange or I swear to you they are even worthy for the big guy himself on Christmas Eve. The flavor is quite subtle, but really lovely. I think the eggnog appears to make them even more moist than usual. 


I had no idea there were so many recipes out there with eggnog in them! It really lends well to custardy recipes like cheesecake or creme brulee because it has so much egg and heavy cream in it--it naturally works well for those two things. But you can find it in anything from blondies or milkshakes to bread pudding. There is a recipe for bread pudding using eggnog, day-old croissants and a lovely caramel sauce on top that I just have to try this holiday season. 

What is your favorite way to enjoy eggnog? Do you like to drink it or have the subtle flavor baked into goods? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.



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    Mary Richardson
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! mary@dvo.com