Every year at Christmas time, there are a few of us who live in the same neighborhood that exchange a little something sweet with each other. We dearly treasure these people, so of course I treat them like I would if they were family members. That means I experiment on them just like I would if we were related.  

Now sometimes my “experiments” turn out better than I expected. Other times, not so much. This year, I gifted these dear friends with a version of an eggnog bread that I read about on the On Sutton Place food site. I changed a couple of things here and there, but the essence of the recipe remained true to the original. And I am very pleased to announce, that in my humble estimation, this bread recipe is a winner.

The bread is ever so tender, moist, and the flavor is absolutely lovely. So even though Christmas has come and gone, or as they say in the common vernacular ‘so yesterday’, I’m providing you with this recipe as an early Christmas present for next year! This bread is simply that delicious. It is definitely gift worthy, even if the one gifted is just you!

So before eggnog no longer appears in your local grocery store dairy case, bake a batch, freeze 2 of the loaves, and every 4 months or so, take one out of the freezer and make an otherwise  uneventful weekend breakfast a special occasion. Cheers!

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1½ c. eggnog (not the low fat variety)   

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. VS cognac*

1 tsp. dark rum*

2¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 small pkg. (3.4-oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix  

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Butter and flour 3 small loaf pans. Set aside until needed.   

In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until combined. In a glass measuring bowl, whisk the eggnog, vanilla, cognac, and dark rum together.

In another bowl, whisk the flour, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together.

Add the dry ingredients and eggnog mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition. The batter will be thick. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out clean. Do not overbake. 

Remove from oven and cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely. Or, if you are giving the loaves as gifts, and have used disposable aluminum pans, they can remain in their pans.

Cognac Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar, or more as needed

1 T. eggnog, or more as needed

1 tsp. cognac, dark rum, or bourbon (whichever you use in the bread batter)

freshly grated nutmeg, opt.

Whisk the powdered sugar, eggnog, and cognac together to form a pourable, but not runny mixture. If your glaze is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit more milk.  Drizzle glaze over cooled loaves. Sprinkle lightly with freshly grated nutmeg. Let set completely before wrapping each loaf in wax paper and aluminum foil. Store at room temperature.

*Or you can use all cognac, dark rum, or bourbon. All work well in this recipe.