Eggnog pie is an exquisite, sweet indulgence, ideal for any wintry day or festive gathering. The velvety eggnog filling complements the buttery shortbread crust beautifully.
Sometimes, my brain likes to combine things. Like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pie is a classic staple of Thanksgiving and Eggnog is a classic staple of Christmas. So why not make an eggnog pie? That seems like a logical conclusion to come to. Eggnog pie is very similar to any other type of cream pie, thickened and set outside of an oven.
But one of the biggest challenges was figuring out what to make the crust out of. I recently realized how narrow my mind had been when it comes to pie crusts. Pie dough was always the first thing that came to mind. Sometimes followed by graham cracker crust but that’s only for a key lime pie.
However, there are more options for pie crust than just those two. Not surprising but I don’t actively think about these things. Well, I was surprised to find out there is a pie with a saltine cracker crust but that is a different story. For the eggnog pie I decided to go with a shortbread cookie crust. I feel like shortbread is a holiday (ish) cookie and it has a more subtle flavor. My main goal was to prevent the eggnog flavor from getting overpowered.
It was a difficult balance but a great way to use eggnog and it turned out delicious. I wanted to get the pure eggnog flavor, so I did not put any toppings on my pie. But I could see how a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg would make this dish sing. And allow for a cool design.
Check out the Make section of MCG for a variety of fun recipes, including delightful desserts and savory dishes that will tantalize your taste buds.
To make an eggnog pie, the main thing you need is eggnog… and gelatin. Yea, I had to use gelatin to get the pie filling to properly set. I am not a master at getting pies to set without the gelatin shortcut, but I know it can be done (by more skilled bakers). Most of the other ingredients are things that I can find around the house.
Process
Shortbread Crust
Since I didn’t know what to do with the crust, I picked shortbread. It felt like a good subtle flavor that matched the holidays. Perfect for an eggnog pie. The fact that it is one of my favorite types of cookies might have also played into me choosing it. What’s better than eggnog and cookies?
One thing I love about shortbread is that I use a food processor instead of a bowl. It’s kind of fun to see a blade go through ingredients as they come together to make dough. It always confuses my brain how cutting would bring something together. Feels strange.
Once the dough was made, I pushed the dough into a pie pan. I didn’t roll out the dough at first because it was too crumbly for that. Getting the dough even in the pie pan was definitely a challenge. Dough does not naturally spread evenly. I just had to get the dough to a place that I liked. Without overworking the dough…
Then I put a lining in the pie dish to really keep the crust even. I filled the pie with pennies because that is what I have. Baking weights are indeed a thing, but pennies work just fine. Although they get very hot.
Baking the crust this way prevents the dough from rising too much. Keeping the dough flat is good for a pie especially. I don’t want air pockets in the bottom. The likelihood of the dough over-rising is minimal because shortbread naturally doesn’t rise that much. Weighing it down was an extra measure.
The Eggnog Pie Filling
While the crust was baking and cooling, I moved onto making the eggnog pie filling. I started by putting the gelatin in warm water to allow the gelatin to bloom. This helps get the powder to a more jelly-like stage which is easier to incorporate into the filling.
Then, I took a saucepan and combined the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and eggnog. I decided to heat the sauce over a low heat until the sugar dissolved. Then it was time to crank up the heat! I wasn’t sure how boiling eggnog would be, but it felt just like boiled milk. The cornstarch did help thicken the mixture before I stir in the gelatin.
I removed the mixture from the heat and stirred in the vanilla extract. While the eggnog mixture was cooling, I switched to making whipped cream. I used a stand mixer to whip the heavy cream. Watching the mixer whip around and around is so satisfying.
Once the cream was whipped and the eggnog mixture was cooled, I folded the whipped cream into the eggnog mix. I had to be careful when folding in the eggnog to avoid knocking the air out of the whipped cream. Finally, I poured the mixture into the pie crust and let it set. And that was it! Once the eggnog pie was set, it was ready to serve.
Reflections
One thing that I wished I had done was some sort of cinnamon or nutmeg sprinkled on the top. Not a lot but just enough to add some flavor and create a fun pattern of sorts. Even powdered sugar would have made a nice contrast for some sort of design.
The flavor of the pie turned out very well albeit on the sweeter side. It had that eggnog taste but felt like a mousse almost in terms of texture. The eggnog pie was soft and just melted away with each bite. I would have eaten more if the sweetness hadn’t gotten to me. When I try this again, I am thinking of decreasing the amount of sugar since eggnog itself is so naturally sweet.
Lessons
Baking Blind
Making pie is an art I am not familiar with and one of the most important components in the crust. Whatever is used must be sturdy enough to hold the enclosed filling, complement the flavor, and withstand being exposed to wet ingredients for a long period of time without sogging.
Depending on the type of pastry, it can either cook with the filling or must be cooked before. Or independently if the filling does not set or cook in an oven. This is where a technique called blind baking is often used.
For this approach, the crust is set in the pie dish and then parchment paper and baking weights are used to hold everything down. This prevents the pastry from puffing up too much in places that should stay flatter.
By baking the crust alone first, it acts as a protective layer against the filling. The biggest problem with skipping this step is the wetness of the filling increases the wetness of the dough resulting in it not baking properly. But each pastry is different and it’s good to do a check if blind baking is the best approach.
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Recipe
Eggnog Pie
Ingredients
Shortbread Pastry
- 1 Cup Butter cubed
- 2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Eggnog Filling
- 1 Tablespoon Gelatin
- ¼ Cup Warm Water
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Eggnog
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- In a food processor, blitz together the butter, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until a dough is created.
- Press the dough into the pan until evenly spread and cover the entire dish. Line with parchment on top and use weights (or pennies) to fill the pie dish.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely.
Eggnog Filling
- Whisk gelatin into the water and let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and eggnog. Cook over a low heat until the solids dissolve.
- Bring to a boil and cook while stirring for 2 minutes. The mix should thicken slightly. Sitr in the gelatin / water mixture until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until light and fluffy.
- Fold whipped cream into the cooled eggnog mixture. Pour the mixture into the crust and let set until firm.
- Dust with cinnamon, nutmeg, or powdered sugar.
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