The All About Eggnog Post

Happy December!  With only a few weeks until Christmas, I thought I would share some “Christmas Flavoured” treats today.  One Christmas flavour that I have always loved is eggnog. Well, I’m actually not a huge fan of just plain old eggnog, but add a little spiced rum and I’m sold.  I stumbled upon a recipe for eggnog cookies with an eggnog glaze a few weeks ago and I immediately put it on my Christmas baking bucket list.  I also found an eggnog fudge recipe that I was dying to try, especially since I’ve never made fudge before, and I was curious of the process.  Both these recipes were actually relatively simple and they both taste absolutely freaking phenomenal.  Eggnog flavoured cookies and fudge are a must for your Christmas baking this year.  I scooped the fudge recipe from recipegirl[dot]com  and found the eggnog cookie recipe from yourcupofcake[dot]com.

I really love these cookies because they are the right kind of chewy while still having enough of a fluffy, airy texture.  I’m a huge hater of crunchy cookies, so these really fit the yummy bill when it came to it’s chewyness.  I also like that while these are eggnog cookies, it’s not all you taste when you bite into them.  This cookie has a great combination of flavours and the added eggnog glaze really gives it a kick of extra sweetness in every bite.  I REALLY loved these.  But, since I’m not a “oh my goodness eggnog is my favourite thing EVER” kind of girl, I decided to bring them along to my bestie’s house for a taste test.  She is a true eggnog lover.  She loved them and had no complaints… and my have even been a little sad that I didn’t bring more.  They passed the taste test from a true eggnog lover so trust me when I say that they will not disappoint you.

When baking I made the cookie mounds relatively small.   The recipe yielded about 24 medium-small-ish cookies.  Make sure when baking that the cookie mounds are well separated as the spread our quite a bit when baked.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.  You can glaze the cookies warm or cooled and then sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

Eggnog Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Eggnog Glaze

• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons eggnog

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with non stick cooking spray.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Cream sugar and butter until light.  Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.

4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.  Do not over mix

5. Spoon dough mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, making the balls relatively small, as they will spread generously in the oven.  Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.

6. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges barely start to brown.

7.  While cookies are in the oven, make the eggnog glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar with 3 tbsp eggnog.

8.  Gaze your cookies warm or cooled and top with cinnamon.

Like I said, these cookies taste REALLY good, and will make an excellent addition to your Christmas baking.  Next came the fudge.  When I was a kid my parents traveled alot from Northern Ontario to Southern Ontario because of the type of work they did.  We made it a tradition to stop off at a trading post 45 minutes south of Sudbury to have a quick bite to eat and do some local shopping.  My mom would always buy me a small brick of Maple Fudge – it was my treat every time we went.  Since we only bought fudge when we took the long drive up to Sudbury, I just assumed it was the only place you could get “real fudge”.  Even when I learnt that you could buy fudge elsewhere, it still seemed like a really special, unattainable treat that one could not just simply make in your own kitchen.  Of course, during my baking escapades I have come to the realization that there is no recipe that is too complicating or too difficult to make in your own kitchen.  When I found this eggnog fudge recipe, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a go alongside my eggnog cookies.

The fudge making process is simple really.  You just have to be prepared to work quickly when mixing your ingredients as you don’t want your mixture to start cooling while you’re still combining.  Start by bringing the sugar, eggnog and butter to a boil.  Continue to boil the mixture on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes.  Make sure you are stirring constantly so that the eggnog mixture doesn’t burn.

Remove from heat and mix in the white chocolate and nutmeg.  Continue to stir until the chocolate is melted.  Stir in the marshmallow cream (you will likely find this in the ice cream cone aisle…surprisingly enough) and rum extract (maybe next time we use real rum 😉 ?).  Beat the mixture until everything is well combined.  Pour into a foil lined and greased pan, sprinkle with nutmeg and cool.

Ensure that the fudge is completely cooled and has hardened before you cut it, or it will break apart.  I popped mine into the freezer once it had cooled to room temperature in order to speed up the cooling process.  This fudge was REALLY tasty.  I cut the fudge into very small squares (since it’s so sweet.. you don’t need much and it will hit the spot) – it made about 30 squares.

Eggnog Fudge

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 3/4 cup eggnog
• 10.5 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, plus a little more for the top of the fudge
• One 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
• 1 teaspoon rum extract

Instructions

1. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil and let it hang over the sides. Butter the foil.

2. In a large saucepan combine sugar, butter and eggnog. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat or until a candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

3. Using a wooden spoon, work quickly to stir in chopped white chocolate and nutmeg until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallow creme and rum extract. Beat until well blended and then pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle a little ground nutmeg on top. Let stand at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate or freeze if you’d like to speed up the process.

4. When completely cool, cut into squares. Store in a covered container.

Fudge freezes well.  My favourite way to eat this is when it is super cold, so I must admit a few less people will receive fudge this year based on the amount I’ve snuck out of my freezer.  Since it’s December I will be doing TONES of baking –  sugar cookies, turtle doves, and lots more. Stay tuned, Happy Baking!