Ah, yes. It has been snowing in Edmonton. Why not bundle up and celebrate it with eggnog ice cream?
Eggnog is now available in the dairy aisle. It would be a while before holiday eggnog ice cream appears. So, why not make your own? Making your own ice cream at home is like having your own ice cream bar. Go ahead and add your favourite sprinkles.
This ice cream uses rum and eggnog. (I have used Old Port, but you can use your favourite rum or bourbon.)
Eggnog Ice Cream
You can substitute the pie filling with any of your favourite kinds (canned or fresh; canned is used in the recipe). The possibilities are endless! If you love crushed candy canes, add it about the same time as adding the pie filling for a much more festive flavour. My husband thinks adding dark chocolate to this cherry cranberry eggnog ice cream would be a delight: if you do wish to add any chocolate, make sure to temper it in a bowl over a gentle boiling saucepan of water — or melt it gently in the microwave (for 15 to 25 seconds, depending on your microwave) before adding it while your ice cream maker is churning, but after adding the pie filling.
To make an eggnog ice cream cake
If you want to make an ice cream cake, make ahead a cake such as my mother-in-law’s Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake in a 9″ pan, cut into two layers. Freeze the ice cream batter for 90 minutes (so that it is firm/not runny). Make sure the cake is cooled before spreading the ice cream batter between the two layers of the cake. You can choose to frost the entire cake with ice cream batter before freezing the entire cake. Or if this is too much work, use your desired spring-form cake pan mould to freeze the ice cream batter. Once frozen to desired ice cream consistency, pipe your favourite icing to decorate your festive eggnog ice cream cake! (If you don’t have a spring-form pan, go ahead and line your chosen cake pan with parchment paper.)
To steep or not to steep?
I believe if you steeped the eggnog in spices, the spices are mulled a lot better. If you are pressed for time, you can choose to skip the spices altogether since the packaged eggnog’s ingredient list states that it’s got spices. There is nothing more festive than the fragrant mingling of spices and fresh eggnog though! I like letting the ice cream mixture “rest” to have a smoother ice-cream consistency.
My family loved this eggnog ice cream; I served it on Thanksgiving Day. My husband thinks there is a difference between freezing it in the deep freezer versus using the fridge’s freezer. The consistency is less icy if you were to freeze using the latter. Please note that if you used a less fat content eggnog, you might not get the same consistency.
It was fun making this eggnog. I have tried adding more heavy cream before but did not like the mouth feel of the ice cream. Since eggnog is almost custard-like, I skipped adding yolks to the ice cream. Let eggnog do the ice cream work. So, enjoy commercially ready eggnog while it’s here.
What kind of eggnog ice cream would you make? Share them on the Facebook page or tag @Cynderbug on Twitter or Instagram with your photos. I would love to see your creations!
- 2 cups eggnog 33% fat
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar granulated
- 2 cups cherry cranberry pie filling
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp Salt coarse sea salt
- 1/2 tsp allspice whole
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ground
- 1 tbsp rum
- Before starting this recipe, freeze your ice cream maker bowl according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Combine with a spoon: cream, sugar, corn syrup, spices (allspice and nutmeg) and salt in a saucepan & bring to a gentle brief simmer over medium heat. (3 to 5 minutes)
Remove from heat once simmering is reached. - Add eggnog 1/3 cup at a time then whisk.
- Let the mixture cool for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge or overnight.
- Strain the spices (particularly the allspice) after cooling.
- Follow your ice cream maker for maximum churning time. Churn the mixture in the frozen ice cream maker bowl.
- Add the pie filling after 10 minutes of churning.
- Before the last 5 minutes of churning, add the 1 tbsp of rum.
I didn’t grow up drinking eggnog (I don’t think my parents cared for it), but I’ve grown fond of it – especially in desserts. I’m used to seeing eggnog on its own, but I have to say I think that combining it with fruit might be my favourite idea yet! And cranberries?! Tart and tangy, and a perfect foil to the sweet eggnog and Christmasy spices. Fantastic combination, and great recipe. Cheers!
Interesting recipe to see eggnog combined into the icecream! Looks delicious:))
Wow!! Looks so easy! Thanks for sharing!
Egg nog was always a part of our Christmas tradition and I was happy that I could buy a ‘light’ version as an adult! I’m going to try this at Christmas – sounds delicious!