This is a Christmas pie recipe I came up with while staring at a jug of eggnog in the fridge. It is an easy way to make a simple cream pie, but had the Christmas flavors of eggnog and spices. I also found some cute little gingerbread man sprinkles to garnish it, though whipped cream would work as well. I like to use one of my favorite pie crust recipes, and oil-based pastry which is lighter and easier than a traditional pie crust. A shortbread or graham crumb crust would also be nice, but a prepared frozen or refrigerated pie shell could be used as well.
Spiced Eggnog Cream Pie
1 prepared pie crust, baked and cooled
(I used {Oil-Based Pie Pastry})
2 cups eggnog
2 packages (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix (no cook)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
gingerbread man sprinkles (or desired garnish, optional)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggnog, pudding, and spices for approximately two minutes until thickened. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pie shell. Garnish as desired. Chill before serving.
We always seem to end up with more eggnog than we can drink. I myself am not a fan of eggnog, but if it is baked up into some yummy muffins, I will gladly eat it. My mother made these eggnog muffins. They are made with spices, raisins, and 1 3/4 cups of eggnog. The eggnog adds a nice new flavor dimension and moistness to the muffins, but the muffins don't actually taste "eggnog-y". These muffins rose nice and high, and had a light and fluffy texture. The recipe came from the world wide web.
Eggnog Muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups eggnog
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
Preheat 350◦F. Line 16 muffins cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the first five dry ingredients.
In a seperate medium bowl, combine the egg, eggnog, and oil.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir until just moistened.
Fold in raisins and pecans.
Fill prepared muffin cups two-thirds full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool.
We didn't have any nutmeg, so my mom used some cinnamon and cloves. She also left out the pecans, although they probably would have made a nice addition. She even made a few plain muffins - no raisins or pecans.
