I don't really like drinking eggnog by itself. That said, I love using it in many other applications. As a holiday-inspired coffee creamer, as the liquid component of pancakes, and as the base for a lovely ice cream are some of my favorite applications. However, I recently discovered that it's also really lovely in muffins. And the resulting muffins are really perfect for putting out with coffee and cocoa on holiday mornings or set in a basket on a brunch buffet.
I like making muffins in large batches and freezing about half of them. Normally, I'd double this recipe so I'd have extras available for last minutes entertaining, but they are so easy to make that being able to have them fresh out of the oven might be worth making them on demand. However you choose to enjoy them, have a safe and wonderful holiday season.
Eggnog Muffins
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup dairy eggnog
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. rum extract
- Nutmeg-Streusel Topping (recipe below)
Grease twelve muffin cups or line them with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in center of the flour mixture; set aside.
In another bowl, combine the eggs, eggnog, melted butter, vanilla and rum extract. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (the batter should be lumpy.) Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle the streusel topping (see instructions below) over the muffin batter in the cups.
Bake the muffins in a 375 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes or until they are golden and a wooden toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool them in the muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove them from the muffin cups; serve warm.
For the Nutmeg-Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg using a pastry blender or fork. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Yields: 12 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes