Are you still casting about for Christmas breakfast ideas? How about dessert? Baking one of these eggnog recipes is a great way to share the Christmas spirit(s).

After all, what's eggnog? The homemade version includes eggs, cream, sugar, and the spirit of your choice: rum, brandy, or whiskey. Store-bought eggnog, which I suspect is what 90 percent of us quaff, includes basically the same ingredients — sans the liquor.

Eggs/cream/sugar: prime baking ingredients. You buy your carton of eggnog, have a few glasses of it — but soon run out of celebratory occasions. And there sit the eggs/cream/sugar, just waiting to be used.

Make one (or all) of these eggnog recipes, and the only toast around the table will be a salute to the day — and the delicious meal you've just produced.

Easy Holiday Eggnog Muffins

Easy Holiday Eggnog Muffins

What could be simpler? This basic vanilla muffin recipe substitutes eggnog for the milk or cream you'd usually use. High-rising and topped with crunchy/crumbly streusel, you can have a dozen of these muffins on the table in just about 30 minutes. Or bake them the day before, and rewarm in the morning.

Get the recipe: Easy Holiday Eggnog Muffins

Tip: Make the streusel first, then transfer it to a piece of parchment or wax paper, and use the same bowl to make the batter. Less cleanup!

Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones

Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones

The number-one baked good that I make for our post-church gatherings on Sunday? Scones. And these scones were a huge hit when I recently brought them for folks to sample. My fellow parishioners have always loved Fresh Apple Scones; but eggnog scones reached, or maybe even exceeded, that same level of enthusiasm.

Get the recipe: Cinnamon-Eggnog Scones

Tip: Make these up to the point of baking several days ahead, then freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake fresh in the morning.

French Toast

French Toast made with eggnog

How about French toast? Our favorite decadent version substitutes eggnog for the cream or milk you'd typically use in your soaker. The result? French toast that's much richer, a tiny bit sweeter — and will have everyone clamoring for more. I love using our English Muffin Toasting Bread for this recipe; a quick batter-type bread, its open texture is perfect for absorbing the eggnog soaker.

Get the recipe: French Toast

Tip: Keep finished slices warm in a 200°F oven while you finish cooking enough for everyone.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Eggnog Cheesecake

Eggnog’s rich flavors are an excellent match for the tangy creaminess of this celebratory holiday cheesecake. Make it the day before so it's ready whenever you (and your guests) are. It's like a cold glass of eggnog, in sliceable, shareable form. 

Get the recipe: Eggnog Cheesecake

Tip: This cheesecake gets much of its eggnog flavor from nutmeg, so be sure to use a high-quality spice for the best flavor.

Eggnog Rum Balls

Eggnog Rum Balls

This fresh take on classic no-bake rum balls uses lightly spiced cookies and gets a mixologist’s touch with rum, brandy, and eggnog. Rolled in cookie crumbs for pleasing crunch outside, they contain a sweet surprise inside: a tangy rum- and eggnog-scented cream cheese filling.

Get the recipe: Eggnog Rum Balls

Tip: A tablespoon cookie scoop makes the shaping and filling process much easier, plus it ensures all the rum balls are uniform in shape and size. 

The Christmas countdown is in full swing — what's on your breakfast menu Christmas morning? Please share in "comments," below.

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About PJ Hamel

PJ Hamel grew up in New England, graduated from Brown University, and was an award-winning Maine journalist (favorite topics: sports and food) before joining King Arthur Flour in 1990. Hired to write the newly launched Baker’s Catalogue, PJ became the small but growing company’s sixth employee.PJ wa...
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Comments

Danielle Durand

December 23, 2017 at 9:17am

You guys at King Arthur Flour are probably the most knowledgeable and experienced people to answer my question. With the price of vanilla extract going through the roof, how can I somehow "replace" it. I know it is pretty hard, and I have read on it, there are several suggestions, but I would really appreciate it to know from you. I have read that you can use maple syrup, but since there is very often alcool in vanilla extract, would we miss the alcool in it tastewise if I was using maple syrup. Or maybe, can we make our own maple extract from maple syrup? I live in Quebec (Canada) where we can buy maple syrup easily and at a good price. Than you very much in advance.
PJ Hamel, post author

December 26, 2017 at 11:13am

Danielle, there's really no good replacement for vanilla extract. Maple syrup may be aromatic in the same way vanilla is, but they're different aromas, different flavors. Plus the recommended substitutes I've seen don't make any sense; they say to replace vanilla with maple syrup 1:1, which means you'd replace 1 teaspoon vanilla with 1 teaspoon maple syrup — which would totally become lost in the rest of the ingredients, since the flavor of maple syrup is a notoriously difficult flavor to translate to baking; it's so subtle, it simply gets lost unless you enhance with manufactured maple flavor/extract. You could try using half the amount of almond extract, though again, it's almond flavor, not vanilla. You could also make your own vanilla extract from beans; if you can afford the beans, which are also expensive. Finally, you can just leave vanilla out of your recipe; you may miss its flavor for the time being, but let's just all hope the vanilla crop is better next year, and prices become more reasonable. PJH@KAF
Danielle Durand

December 27, 2017 at 11:00am

Thank you PJ, this is what I thought too... that it is hard to replace... maybe with artificial vanilla extract, even if it is not the same. And as you said, the maple has a different flavour. And I could make my own extract with beans, if only I could find any. I have seen that there is a project started to grow vanilla plants in the Netherland, underground or in a greenhouse. I hope it will work out as those plants take a lot of time and care to grow... I thought I could try, but afyer reading on it, I decided against. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this situation get resolved. Thank you for your advices again and I wish you and your colleagues at King Arthur a very happy new year and for us, lots of excellent recipes as you always offer us.
Monica Soule

December 20, 2017 at 5:19pm

Now or Later Cinnamon Buns are on the menu for Christmas morning at our house. Made them a few days ago, and now they're nestled in the freezer. Merry Christmas to you, PJ, and Happy Holidays to all at King Arthur!

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