Eggless Eggnog

Our dear friend, Amber sent us a recipe for an eggless eggnog that I made a few alterations to to keep it low sugar and boy oh boy-  let me just tell you, it will definitely put the jingle in your jangle and make your spirits bright! This nog is NOT for your munchkins as it is rather loaded with rum and bourbon in a most delicious, creamy, spiced concoction kind of way. The eggs in traditional eggnog are replaced here with instant vanilla pudding mix- how brilliant is that? The recipe, which keeps at least a week in your fridge (probably longer, but it’s always gone before I can find out how long that might be!) makes about 48 ounces. We hope you like it- Cheers!

• 4 oz Light of Dark Rum (we prefer dark, like Kraken)
• 4 oz Spiced Rum (Sailor Jerry’s is a good choice for the price)
• 4 oz Bourbon (Maker’s Mark hits the mark for this recipe for me)
• ½ cup Monkfruit Sweetener (Lakanto brand is available at Costco or online and is my go-to low glycemic index sweetener and a highly recommended sweetener for diabetics); you can, of course, use regular sugar if you prefer
• 5 cups Milk (I use Fairlife whole milk which has 50% less sugar than regular whole milk; 2% milk works as well, but is not as rich as whole. Almond milk would work beautifully in this recipe)
• 1 pkg Instant Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Mix (1.6oz) (again, you can use regular instant pudding mix if you are not concerned with keeping it low sugar)
• ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp Ground Allspice
• ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Zest of ½ Lemon
• Zest of 1 lg Orange

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until the pudding mix and sugar are completely dissolved and the mixture starts to thicken. If it appears too thick for your liking, add more milk to the desired consistency.
2. Transfer the mixture into a large pitcher or glass container with a lid (I use 2 glass quart milk bottles that fit easily in my fridge) and chill well several hours.
3. Serve eggless nog in an old-fashioned glass with a floater of bourbon or rum if you wish and a grating of fresh nutmeg.