The moment November turns to December — and maybe even before — grocery stores everywhere somehow find space for one more item in the dairy case: eggnog, the thick, sweet, love-it-or-hate-it beverage of the holidays.
Whether you buy it or make it (fancy pants), you’re bound to have some left over; a little eggnog goes a long way. And if you fall in the “love it” camp, you’re in luck: There are a lot of ways to use up your ’nog.
- An oldie but a goodie: Splash it into your morning coffee. And your afternoon coffee (spiked).
- Any leftover rice would welcome eggnog as the start of rice pudding.
- Just a couple of tablespoons left? Dribble it into powdered sugar and whisk with a fork to make a glaze for cinnamon rolls or a quick bread.
- Add eggnog to pancake or waffle batter — or to the custard for French toast. Don’t forget to grate a little nutmeg over the finished product.
- Use it instead of milk in a pound cake or coffee cake. You may want to slightly decrease the amount of sugar you use.
- HalfPint recommends adding a bit of gelatin to turn it into a panna cotta or pudding. She also recommends making ice pops out of it!
- And now that she mentions it, an eggnog crème brûlée or flan would work pretty wonderfully, too.
- Make a wintry bread pudding, like Naina Lal does, with cranberries, orange zest, and nutmeg.
- Use it as the base for a creamy, rich ice cream! (Now close your eyes and imagine it next to a slice of pie.)
- Freeze it in ice cube trays — and add to your iced coffee.