My step-mom Shannon contributed to me in many important ways and left me with many wonderful things. This homemade egg nog recipe is one of them. Boozy and loaded with creamy goodness—and sooo much better than store bought—it was a delicious part of her regular, and spectacular, holiday routine.
Serves 8 to 10
- 4 large egg whites
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 1/2 cups whiskey, rum, or brandy, or more to taste (optional)
- Freshly grated nutmeg
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed to soft peaks. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
In the same mixing bowl (you don’t need to clean it out), beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until pale and ribbony, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on medium, add the milk, 1 cup of the cream, and the whiskey, rum, or brandy, if using. Add the yolk mixture to the large bowl with the egg whites.
Add the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream to the mixing bowl (again, you don’t need to clean it out) and beat on high speed to soft peaks. Add the whipped cream to the large bowl and fold everything together.
Transfer the egg nog to a serving pitcher or punch bowl. Serve garnished with freshly grated nutmeg.
NOTE Some say that if you set the egg nog aside for 24 hours, the alcohol will kill any potential bacteria in the raw eggs. But if you’d rather not use raw eggs, omit step 1 and use 5 pasteurized eggs instead of the yolks in step 2 (the mixture might not get pale and ribbony).
