Merry almost Christmas, you guys! It’s only 3 days to the day and while I’m terribly late in sharing this, you still have plenty of time to get this up and running! Thank god for easy recipes! I love this eggnog ice cream, it’s the stuff of your dreams if you’re an ice cream and Christmas fanatic. If you’re here and reading this, I’m gonna make a WILD assumption that you’re one of those people? Yup? Welcome to the club, buddy!

So, I’m not gonna ramble on, like I usually do, because this stuff is pretty good to keep waiting and I’m fashionably late to the party so I better hurry on (oops). I like the whole dessert complete with a shot of espresso aka making it an affogato (an Italian dessert where you serve a scoop of ice cream drowned in hot espresso.) While there is enough booze in the ice cream to give you a little kick, you could add a tiny splash of liqueur with the espresso like a shot of amaretto, or frangelico, in keeping with the festive vibes. Honestly, in my personal opinion, I like it the way it is. Dunk in some homemade gingerbread cookies and you’re on a straight road to heaven! Makes for a great after dessert ‘dessert’ at the Christmas dinner table. I would probably make my Lemon & Stone Fruit Pavlova for the main dessert and maybe this for the tea/coffee part, you get what I mean?

I mean would you look at how adorable that is?! The eggnog ice cream is spiced with all your usual Christmas spices, has a touch of citrus to bring a little bit of freshness, just a splash of whiskey for the ‘adult’ version and so creamy and delicious! You can leave out the whiskey from the ice cream recipe for a kid friendly version and add it individually later with the espresso shot if needed. If you’re still looking for quick, no fuss Christmas dessert ideas, this has to be your go to! I hope you give this a try and share with your loved ones this Christmas. Merry Christmas and bon appetite friends! xx

Recipe

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the eggnog ice cream:

• 400g full fat milk

• 200g heavy cream

• 1 vanilla bean

• 75g egg yolks

• 75g castor sugar

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated is recommended

• 30ml whiskey (omit for kid friendly version)

• 1 slice of dried orange

Assembly:

• 2 shots of espresso per serve

• Gingerbread cookies

Method

For the eggnog ice cream:

• In a deep saucepan, weigh together the milk and cream. Split open the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add in the vanilla pod as well. Heat until just about to boil.

• While the milk is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Keep aside.

• Prepare an ice bath to have it ready for later. Fill a bowl with ice and little bit of water. Place another bowl of the same size over this. Keep a strainer handy.

• Once the milk has almost come to a boil, pour half of it into the egg-sugar mix and whisk to mix well. Return this slurry to the remaining milk and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, until the custard reaches 85C.

• Remove immediately from the heat and add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.

• Strain the custard into the ice bath and add the dried orange slice. Let cool down completely.

• Refrigerate the ice cream base for minimum 4 hours or overnight.

• Churn to soft serve consistency as per manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until use.

To serve:

• Freeze cocktail glasses a few hours before serving.

• Place a scoop or two of the ice cream into the glass. Add a splash of liqueur (if using). Pour espresso shots over and serve immediately with some gingerbread cookies. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed that and tried it at home, please tag me at @myyummyspatula on Instagram so that I can see all your bakes! For more BTS stories, updates and fun, you can follow along here: