Puzzling Instructions

So here is a little tutorial on how to make the puzzle cake from yesterday's post. It would make much more sense if I had taken a picture at every stage throughout the process, but unfortunately I did not so I will just try my best in explaining it. It was actually difficult to find many easy tutorials on the internet for this type of cake. I will explain how to duplicate the cake I made, but of course the procedure will differ slightly if more cake layers or different colors are used.

1. Begin by baking two different flavors of cake, differing in color. You will need three layers of each, so either make three thin layers or slice one cake into three layers. Here I have made a vanilla and a chocolate angel food cake.
2. You will also need a frosting or icing. For this delicate cake, it is easiest to use a fluffy, whipped frosting instead of a stiff frosting which may tear the cake. You will also need quite a bit of icing for a good layer between each cake layer and coating the outside of the cake. I made three pounds of Italian buttercream.
   
3. Begin assembling the cake: one chocolate layer, buttercream, one vanilla layer, buttercream, second chocolate layer, buttercream, second vanilla layer, buttercream, and the third chocolate layer. Reserve the third vanilla layer.
4. Here comes the tricky and crucial step. Use a bowl, plate, or cut-out circle as a guide. Place it on top of the cake, you should have one to two inches of cake still showing around the entire diameter. Using a long, serrated knife, cut around the guide, holding the knife at a 45 degree angle. Cut all the way around the cake, you are essentially cutting a cone out of the cake. This step is much easier if you freeze the cake for 30-60 minutes before cutting for a cleaner cut.
5. Place a plate or cake board on top of the cake and flip it upside down. Very gently and carefully remove the outside of the cake, which will be a hollow circle of cake now. Place this hollowed-out cake, flip it back over, and set it on another plate. You should now have the cone, with the tip pointing upwards, on one plate; and the hollowed-out cake, with the smaller hole (from where the tip of the cone was cut) facing upwards.
6. Gently press the top chocolate cake layer in to fill the small hole. Frost the entire inside of this cake with frosting. Gently press the reserved vanilla cake layer into this, then frost again.
7. Carefully place the cone (tip pointing downwards) into this cake opening. You may find it doesn't fit exactly, well it's not really supposed to. Just press it in gently until the top of the cake is level.
   
8. Now comes the easy part - frost the outside of the cake and decorate as desired. Here I have made a chocolate collar for the outside with chocolate drizzle and filigree on top.
9. Chill the cake before serving so slicing will be cleaner. Use a hot, sharp knife. Watch the puzzled looks on your guest's faces when they receive their piece.
   

Don't despair if this doesn't work out perfectly the first time - you can tell from my photo that this isn't as perfect as some of the puzzle cake pictures in books and on the internet. But I know my next try will be even better, now that I know how this process works. Even if it doesn't work out, you should come out with some interesting layers or in the very least, a perfectly edible marble cake.

Puzzle Cake

 I have been intrigued by the concept of a puzzle cake ever since I saw a picture of one in a cookbook. It is not a very common cake, probably because it takes some time to make and seems a bit complicated, Really, it isn't, it just takes some patience and a delicate touch. I decided to attempt to make one for the new year. Apparently each puzzle cake you make improves over the last one, which makes sense, because the first time you really don't know what you are doing or how it will work out. However, I think for my first attempt this puzzle cake turned out fairly well. Here from the outside, it simply looks like a regular cake. Actually it looks like a regular cake with a fancy chocolate collar around it, but more on that aspect of the cake later. 

 Now, cut into the cake and look at the layers. The distinct layers are a little difficult to make out. That's because a puzzle cake is supposed to be puzzling - there is a certain technique to get the layers looking complicated like that and it is quite neat. My layers could definitely be cleaner and more pronounced, but like I said it was my first attempt. I also ran out of cake layers - I thought I would have three layers each of both chocolate and white cake, but my recipe didn't make as much batter as expected and I didn't have the chance to make more cake. Next time I may also tint the frosting a slightly different color - maybe make a mocha or light cocoa frosting so it doesn't blend in with the cake quite so much.

Here you can see the wacky layers of chocolate and white cake a bit better. You may almost consider it a marble cake, but there is a layer of icing in the middle there too. It makes for quite a tasty cake, as you get some chocolate, vanilla, and frosting in each bite. You can also make puzzle cakes with many more layers and have each layer a different color for a rainbow-style puzzle cake. I will explain more on the process of making a puzzle cake in tomorrow's post.

Contemporary Ollie Bollen

As I have explained the past few years, Ollie Bollen are a Dutch New Year's Eve tradition - deep-fried oil balls of goodness. Like a rustic Dutch doughnut. My father grew up having these as a child and now makes them for us every year. Traditional Ollie Bollen usually contain raisins or currants. However, my brother has never been much of a raisin fan, and our family likes to mix things up and try new things. We were thinking of all possible combinations we could do with the ingredients we had on hand, considering it was New Year's Eve and no stores would be open.

traditional raisin ollie bollen

In the past, we have done raisin ollie bollen, apple ollie bollen, apple and raisin ollie bollen, mixed candied fruit ollie bollen, plain ollie bollen, and chocolate chip ollie bollen. The results? Raisin ollie bollen are the traditional standard for a good reason. Apple are good, but the apple pieces can become brown and mushy. Mixed candy fruit was really good but really sticky, plain was, well, a little plain, and chocolate chip was delicious but very messy and must be done at the end of the batch because the chocolate chips will melt into the oil.

colorful candy ollie bollen

This year, my brother began thinking of new flavor combinations - how about coconut, cheese, or frosting injected? He settled with candy-coated chocolate pieces (which we figured would not melt quite as easily as chocolate chips). Then he decided on putting chopped cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, without the cream filling. Since the batch already contained the candies, these became candy and cookie ollie bollen. These were apparently quite good as well, though the frying oil was certainly unusable after that batch. And of course, don't forget to coat the cooked ollie bollen in icing sugar!!!

messy cookie ollie bollen

Happy 2015

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but for me, each year seems to go by faster and faster. Once again, I have had a very eventful and enjoyable year and am looking forward to another one. I am thankful to be healthy, happy, and surrounded by loving family and friends. I am also thankful for each culinary opportunity that has presented itself, as well as each challenge I have undertaken in the kitchen this year. Here are some of the highlights of my year:

January: The year began with one of my favorite desserts of the year - a Chocolate Truffle Torte I made for the first. I also finished another successful food class this month.

February: I celebrated World Nutella Day again this year, and tried my hand at some fancy chocolate work making a box of chocolates - and the box out of chocolate too - for Valentine's Day.

March: Celebrated Pi Day again and successfully made deceptive cookie dough brownies without detection.

April: My culinary advances were brought to a bit of a halt following my dental surgery, as I focused mostly on making soft foods I would be able to eat during recovery.

May: I made a few successful cakes this month, along with conducting a science experiment in which I was able to draw conclusions about the specific heat capacity of chocolate.

June: I created several successful treats for my own graduation.

July: I traveled on another adventure - visiting many bakeries and restaurants in a few different countries and experiencing the foods of different cultures.

August: Once again I entered a cooking competition in the local exhibition and placed second overall, with 24 items earning prizes.

September: I departed on a brand new culinary journey, moving away and beginning culinary school. I also left my old job and began a new cooking job.

October: Created several successful Halloween treats.

November: Have met a couple of famous chefs and participated in several food demonstrations and events.

December: Returned home for the holidays and began cooking and baking holiday treats and many new items I have learned how to make at school thus far.

PHOTO CREDIT:"2015-food-safety.jpg" http://acceleratingscience.com/food/happy-holidays/. Examining Food, n.d. Wednesdayday, December 24, 2014.

Best of 2014

At the end of every year, I like to look back at the year's work and decide what have been my best, most impressive, tastiest, or prettiest creations of the year. Here are the items that made the list for 2014. I'm sorry I did not provide the links for them, but just type the name in the search bar in the top left-hand corner of this blog and the items should pop up!

Bars: Cookie dough brownies, Brookies, Blueberry banana bars, Kriebel cake, Pumpkin pie streusel bars. 

Breads: Soft pretzels, Soft white dinner rolls, Traditional panettone.

Breakfast: Sunny morning pancakes, Banana nut overnight oatmeal, Apricot hazelnut energy bars, Pumpkin pancake. 

Cakes: Luigi cake, Calculator cake, Hummingbird cake, Confirmation cake, Grad cake, Newspaper cake, 60th anniversary cake, Camera cake, Christmas layer cake.

Cupcakes: Horse cupcakes, Nautical cupcakes, Easter cupcakes.

Cookies: Ultimate m&m cookies, Peanut butter spider cookies, Lemon Whoopie Pies.

Chocolate: Box of chocolates, French chocolate cake, Chocolate mousse overnight oatmeal, Chocolate shell cake.

Dessert: Truffle torte, Croquembouche, Valentine parfaits, Grad caps, Spicy eggnog cream pie.

Main Courses: Fall vegetable curry, Moroccan vegetable tagine, Homemade noodles.

Christmas Gifts 2014

Last year I had a very cupcake Christmas - as in the vast majority of my presents were cupcake themed in some way, shape, or form. Well, that wasn't the case this year, although I did receive a few more cupcake things. However, because I love cooking and baking and everything food related and am in the food industry, I still do receive many food related gifts. Here is just a taste of some of the foodie gifts I got this year.

Pictured here (clockwise from 12:00):
A set of dish towels and flour ornaments and a purple plate arranged to look like a cake, a milk frother, a new French cookbook, an "I Love Chocolate" mug, a Christmas catalog from one of my favorite bakeries, a cupcake novel, black forest cake tea, a decorated gingerbread cookie, coconut oil, and Lebkuchen. 

More foodie gifts I got that are not pictured here include:
A cupcake apron, dishtowels, a tablecloth, a Brie baker, a cupcake ornament, a cookie ornament, a culinary hoodie, cookies, a decorative food angel, a cookie notebook, and of course, chocolate. 

And you may be able to see in the background - more cupcake wrapping paper!!!

Garlic Butter

Garlic Butter
1/4 cup salted butter (or use unsalted and season with salt as desired)
3 cloves garlic
6-8 black peppercorns
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Leave the butter at room temperature briefly to soften.
Finely mince the garlic cloves. Then use the back of a spoon to mash it up until softened and no longer crunchy.
Crush the peppercorns with the back of a knife. 
Beat the butter in a small bowl until pliable. Add in the garlic, peppercorns, and rosemary. Beat until combined. Taste and adjust - if it isn't garlicky enough for you, add more garlic. Add more pepper or rosemary if desired. Salted butter should provide enough salt, but add a touch more if you wish.

The butter is now ready, but I recommend transferring it to another serving dish for presentation. I pressed a flour design into my butter. Alternatively, if really soft the butter may be piped with a pastry bag into rosettes, or the butter can be scooped with a melon baller. The butter can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week. It is best served at room temperature, but will readily melt if spread onto warm bread. Use the amunt of butter for the amount of garlic butter needed, and adjust seasonings accordingly. This butter is excellent for making garlic bread, spread on any type of rolls, or even to season and cook meats. Homemade garlic butter is so easy to make - and better-tasting and better for you than commercially produced varities. 

Soft White Dinner Rolls

Tonight for dinner, to go along with our lasagna, I made soft white dinner rolls and homemade garlic butter, instead of the typical garlic bread we usually have. Normally I am a huge fan of whole wheat and multigrain breads and rolls - but this is one of the exceptions. These rolls are the softest, fluffiest, most moist and buttery dinner rolls I have ever had and in order to achieve this, they must be made with white flour. Sometimes, you just have to have a little treat like these little gems. You know those soft white rolls people always pick up at the grocery store bakery to have on hand as a side dish for meals and potlucks? Well these are at least ten times better. That's not surprising, since they are homemade, but what is surprising is that these rolls are not difficult to make at all. They don't take up too much time either, most of the time in this recipe is spent waiting for the rolls to rise. Nevertheless, you can start now and enjoy hot, buttery rolls in three hours.

This recipe came from the same book at the revised panettone recipe, a book I am definitely beginning to love, as every recipe seems to turn out to be outstanding. In addition, the recipes are easy to follow, use common ingredients, and are things you have always wanted to make. I really enjoy making rolls, I love rolling them and delicately brushing each one with egg wash and butter. These rolls really don't need anything - but some plain butter or homemade garlic butter as I did go really well. Of course the rolls are best fresh from the oven, but they are almost as good cold or reheated the next day. The freeze really well too. Try them with dinner or for breakfast with jam or peanut butter.

The process for making these rolls could not be easier - it is the straight dough method where you throw all scaled, room temperature ingredients in a bowl and mix, then knead for ten minutes or so until smooth. Let it rise for an hour until doubled, form into 35g rolls, and proof for half an hour or so until doubled again. Brush them with egg wash, bake at 400◦F for 12-15 minutes, brush the warm rolls with melted butter, pull apart, and inhale!

I just formed these into round rolls, but there are a few different things you can do to make them fancier. If you place them really close together on the baking sheet, they will bake together into pan rolls. You can use a pair of kitchen scissors to make different types of cuts into the rolls or alternately use a stamp or press to add designs. 

Traditional Panettone

This year, I decided to try a new recipe that I found in a reputable baking textbook. No other recipe from this book had failed to disappoint me, and I had tried several, so I decided to go with this one. This new panettone, although a bit heavier than the old recipe, was certainly richer and moister. It is made by the enriched straight dough method for yeast breads. It was also chock-full of plump, delicious fruit and flavor. The new recipe uses only egg yolks and a large quantity of butter for richness. It is flavored by vanilla extract and lemon and orange zest. It uses bread flour for a higher gluten content and more structure. Instead of making three or four smaller panettones, I made two larger ones and baked them in a bundt pan and a tube pan. 

There are a few major differences between this panettone recipe and the one I used to use. The old recipe was less traditional, and used cherries as fruit and also contained the addition of a little rum for extra flavor and keeping qualities. This new recipe uses more traditional fruits - simply raisins, golden raisins, and candied orange peel. The new recipe contains both lemon and orange zest, where the old recipe used the flavorings of lemon zest and anise extract. Both are yeast breads that are formed into small round loaves and baked either free-form or in panettone molds or similar pans. 

I definitely like this new recipe better though, and if I make panettone next year, I will be using this recipe again (unless I find an even better one).

Panettone Revamp

Panettone is a traditional Italian fruit bread that appears around Christmastime. You can get some really good store-bought ones, with simple ingredients and good flavor, however they are still full of preservatives (they last about a year) and just do not beat homemade! I have been making homemade panettone breads for the past three or four years. Before then, my grandmother and my father had always bought some panettone each Christmastime to enjoy, but I decided I could try making some myself. Now I like to give some out as gifts at Christmastime, and share some with family members.

The past few years I have been using the same panettone recipe I found in one of my mother's bread cookbooks, which usually makes 3-4 smaller loaves. It turned out really well the first year, but in the next two years I noticed several areas for improvement. 

I found this recipe a bit dry, lacking in fruit, and not quite as rich and buttery as it needed to be. Although I always found the fruit difficult to knead into it, I found the final product didn't have quite enough fruit. The flavor was there, but not quite strong enough. And the loaves were small with an uneven shape and appearance. Although I tried a few changes to the recipe myself, I decided to try a brand new recipe this year, and I will share the results of that trial tomorrow.

Seasons Greetings!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings! This is the one day of the year where I really take a break from food blogging, set an automatic update, and just post a quick little message to wish everyone a great day! Enjoy time spent with loved ones, and some great feasts. Whether you opt for the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, or a different family tradition, something unconventional, or even a really good pizza - enjoy it along with some great desserts and great memories made with loved ones. 

PHOTO CREDIT:"images" http://www.mudgeefinefoods.com.au/category/newsletter/. Mudgee Fine Foods, n.d. Wednesdayday, December 24, 2014.

Ginger Cake

Ginger Cake
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 teaspoon each; ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup molasses
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch rectangular pan.
In a large bowl, place the first eight ingredients. Stir the soda into the hot water until it bubbles then add to bowl. Mix well until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Here is a really quick gingerbread cake recipe that is a real saver at Christmastime. It is basically a one bowl recipe for a nice gingerbread, with a cake-like texture. It is baked in a long rectangular cake pan and is easy to serve. It is great warm or old as is, or with ice cream, whipped cream, a dusting of icing sugar, or a sauce - caramel, eggnog, spiced, crème anglaise, or a spiked sauce such as brown sugar rum, bourbon butterscotch, or a simple hard sauce. 

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Gingerbread isn't just for cookies or cakes - it can work for cupcakes or muffins as well! These gingerbread cupcakes my mother made are moist and sweet enough to be cupcakes, but we eat them as muffins. If you would like them to be cupcakes, I would recommend a cream cheese icing, brown butter icing, or salted caramel buttercream. An eggnog flavored frosting would be nice as well. 

Gingerbread Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a twelve cup muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the first six dry ingredients. 
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the last six wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully incorporated. 
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake for abut 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Gingerbread Train 2014

Last year, we went with decorating a gingerbread train instead of a gingerbread house, to try out a new gingerbread kit. This year, we made both a gingerbread house and a gingerbread train. We had bought a reduced gingerbread train at the end of season last year, but forgot about it. So we bought a house this year, because although the train is cute, the house seemed cuter and more traditional. While we were putting out Christmas decorations this year, we found the gingerbread train set, and decided to put that together as well. So here is this year's gingerbread train, displayed on the shelf below our gingerbread house.

The houses for the past few years can be found at these links: 2011 and 2012.
Here is the link for last year's gingerbread train: Train.

Gingerbread House 2014

In keeping with the tradition of constructing a family gingerbread house each year, here is the 2014 edition. Unfortunately, this year it was only my parents who were around to decorate the house, but I think they did a great job! Although we get pretty much the same, or a very similar, house every year, it always ends up being decorated differently, or we trade which parts each person decorates. These kits never seem to include enough candy to mimic the fancy designs given on the box as suggestions, and they never account for the small little candies that roll away - to be found later in the day. I particularly like the wreath on the front of this house, I think it is quite creative. 
I am happy and thankful to be home with my family now in order to celebrate the holidays.
Happy Holidays to all!

Miniature Gingerbread Cookies

Here are some more gingerbread cookies! I made these one miniature for some bite-sized cookies. What I like about these cookies is they are so small and extra crisp - almost like crackers - so you can eat a bunch of them. You can also make so many more different shapes, and you get way more cookies from one batch of dough. Also since they are so tiny, they really don't require any decorating. though they would probably be really good in a dip - try a sweet frosting, cream cheese, and eggnog dip, etc. Pictured here are two different angel shapes, a candy cane, and a star.

Fudgey Cranberry Dark Chocolate Brownies

This is one of the ultimate brownie recipes for brownie and chocolate lovers (me). Even those who are not in love with brownies will enjoy these. Since they are not mixed much, and ingredients are folded in, this creates a very fudgey and dense brownie. Yet these brownies definitely hold up well. This batch makes a big panful of tall brownies, so you get a lot from one batch. They contain some dried cranberries to give them a little festive feel, but these can be omitted or replaced with chopped nuts, or chocolate chips for a double chocolate brownie. The cranberries do not impart a strong flavor or texture though, they sort of "melt" into the chocolate. I often use whole wheat flour for chocolaty items such as brownies because you cannot detect the difference and it makes them slightly more nutritious. These need no icing, but an icing colored with cherry juice would add even more festive color to these and make them sweeter. 

Fudgey Cranberry Dark Chocolate Brownies
300g dark chocolate, chopped, use as dark as you wish, depending on your personal preference (I used a mix of 90%, 72% and caramel 60%)
200g butter, cubed
1/4 cup dark chocolate syrup, optional
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated (white) sugar (may want to scale this up or down depending on the type of chocolate used)
1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups sweetened dried cranberry, dusted lightly in flour

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch pan.
Bring a small pot halfway full of water to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl that will fit the pot, and melt, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Once melted, stir in the chocolate syrup and cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smoothly blended. Beat in the sugar until thick and dissolved, do not overbeat. Beat in vanilla. Temper this mixture with some of the chocolate, then fold all of the chocolate in.
Fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Then fold in the cranberries. Do not overmix.
Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Christmas Layer Cake

Christmas will soon be here, and I was feeling quite festive and inspired the other day. So I made a Christmas themed cake. The red and green colors showing through the cake and the red and green sprinkles give a very festive appearance. The trick to get the red and green in the cake is actually quite simple, the same technique I used at Halloween (see {Orange Poke Cake}). This also makes the cake extra moist! 

Christmas Layer Cake
2 round white cake layers, baked (cooled, optional)
1 package green instant gelatin mix (lime)
1 package red instant gelatin mix (cherry, raspberry, or strawberry)
2 cups boiling water
2 packages instant whipped topping (or use real whipped cream)
1 cup cold milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

The cakes need not be cool, but should be removed from pans and placed on plates. Pierce the cakes all over with a fork.
In small bowls, dissolve each of the gelatins in one cup of boiling water. Whisk until dissolved. Carefully pour one over each cake. Cool.
A few hours later, whip the topping mix with the milk and vanilla. Spread half of this one one of the cakes. Top with other cake. Spread top with remaining topping. Garnish with sprinkles. 

You may use a boxed mix, purchased cakes, or your own homemade cakes for this recipe, however white cake must be used in order for the colors to show through. You could decorate the cake with any type of frosting instead of cream or whipped topping, but I like the texture and light, fluffy appearance of the topping, almost like snow.

Christmas Chip Squares

Christmas Chip Squares
1 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Christmas chips (like chocolate chips, but red, white, and green colored)

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. 

This square recipe is really just chocolate chip cookie dough baked in a pan and eaten in bar form. They are made festive by the use of colored chocolate chips, which are not chocolate flavored, but are still sweet and tasty. For the off-season, just replace with your favorite type of chips - milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, mint, etc.

Spiced Eggnog Cream Pie

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.