Happy Solstice dear friends. Today is our biggest (and most loved) family celebration of the year. We'll be staying up late around the fire, making gingerbread houses and clove oranges, laughing and celebrating the return to the light. The celebration will continue into tomorrow and then we'll roll joyfully toward Christmas Eve with my family. I love this time of year.
And each day we'll be drinking eggnog. My recipe (below) is a small Solstice gift for you.
Every year I'm lured into buying a quart here, a quart there of eggnog. I can't resist. But store-bought (even the organic, corn syrup-free sort I have available to me locally) is far to sweet for my palate, and well, it's not homemade. This year I finally made my own. What exactly was I waiting for? It's quick, easy, and so good you might just feed it to your kids for breakfast. (Like I just did.)
If you prefer a thinner eggnog you can make the recipe below without cooking (if you are comfortable with raw eggs) or omit the extra yolks.
Thick Homemade Eggnog Recipe
4 C whole milk (mine is raw, but as you will cook it use what you have)
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs and 3 yolks (best eggs = best eggnog)
Maple syrup or honey, to taste. (Start with as little at 3 Tb. per batch. Purchased nog comes in in the 6+ Tb range. We love ours far less sweet with just 3-4 Tb, but if you are adding alcohol – or have a sweet tooth – a bit more sweetness may be preferable.)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
How To Make Eggnog
Gently heat milk and nutmeg to very hot but not boiling.
In a separate, heat-proof bowl, whisk eggs and yolks together. Set aside.
When milk is steaming hot temper eggs by adding hot milk 1 Tb at a time and quickly whisk in. Repeat this process until you've whisked 1/4 cup of milk or so into your eggs. (This process keeps your eggs from turning scrambled when you add them to the hot milk.)
Add eggs to hot milk and whisk. Heat over medium heat until the nog begins to bubble and thicken, whisking all the while. Remove from heat, cool a bit, then add maple or honey and vanilla.
Allow to cool to a good drinkable temperature, then puree with your stick blender or regular blender or pour through a strainer if you prefer a perfectly smooth and thick eggnog. Or just drink it up if you aren't particular about these things.
It'll be gone in ten minutes. I promise.
Wishing you a beautiful holiday. I'll be back here next week!
Love,
Rachel
Yay! Thank you for sharing this Rachel! I think I know what I’m going to be making when I finally have a day off this Sunday. <3 Happy Solstice. The future is looking brighter already 😉
Yummy! I’m going to try this one out.
oh, this sounds so delicious! i wish i was at your house for eggnog breakfast this morning!! thank you for posting!
My husband will be thrilled about this! He loves egg nog, but I have rebelled against the fake ingredients in all the versions in the stores around us.
Could this be made ahead and refrigerated for a while? He is the only one here who drinks it and I don’t think he will go through it all at once.
Oh, absolutely. You could keep it for as long as you could keep cooked eggs in the fridge.
When you make it yourself, eggnog is healthy even…now I know I’m not the only one who serves it for breakfast….
This was a lovely recipe gift for you to share with all. Have a full-of-slowness holiday, Rachel. -heather
I’ve been bookmarking homemade eggnog recipes – including some that were on your Pinterest board, as a matter of fact! – trying to find the best one out there. Too bad I can’t make them all and see which one I like best. (pause) Well, I could… Did you try any of the dairy-free versions? Since I can’t get raw milk I thought of combining coconut and almond milks, maybe even some buttermilk since it’s cultured.
Great, thanks! He will be very happy when he gets home from work today. 🙂
Lupine gets a belly ache from warmed (raw) dairy. So I was considering making one with homemade almond milk. If we do Ill let you know how it turns out!
We made this for breakfast this morning using coconut milk–yum! Planning almond or hazelnut next. Thank you for sharing your traditions! Wishing you a warm and festive winter.
Great! Ive been meaning to try it with coconut milk for Lupine who cant do warmed dairy. Well try it today!
Peace,
Rachel
Hey Rachel! Quick question. When you say 2 eggs and 3 yolks, do you mean 2 egg whites and 3 yolks? I made this last night and it wasn’t that thick. I think I put too many yolks in it.
Thanks, Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
It is three whole eggs plus the added yolks. If it is thin then keep cooking until it thickens. You can take this too far, as I did accidentally when I forgot about it on the stove and got eggnog pudding… 🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe Rachel! We were a family who did not care for eggnog (store bought stuff) but decided to give this a try. Yummy!! we are making more to make french toast with for new years morning 🙂 Oh, and I decided to just add one of the yolks and it was a perfect for us. Especially for my little ones who dont care for thick drinks.
Glad you enjoyed it!