This Eggnog Mousse with Gingerbread Streusel is the perfect make-ahead dessert for your holiday entertaining!
Throwing back to one of my very first holiday recipes on the blog (from Dec 2015!). This Eggnog Mousse actually originated way back in Pastry School. My friend Lindsay and I made this as part of our Final Menu Development.
Ryan and a few lucky others got to sample it at that time, and he’d been asking me to make it ever since. Being the loving wife that I am, I agreed to make this for him. And I really couldn’t say no after he brought home these adorable eggnog mason jar mugs which were just perfect for this mousse. He knew what he was doing, alright!
How to Make Eggnog Mousse
I changed the recipe up only slightly from the one we made in school. That one didn’t actually use any eggnog, just eggnog components. I wanted to intensify that eggnog flavour a bit, so I used some eggnog in the mousse itself.
The mousse is a simple version of pastry cream, lightened up with some whipped cream and stabilized with some gelatin. I have a detailed tutorial on How to Make Pastry Cream so be sure to check that out for tips.
Gingerbread Streusel
The base is a simple gingerbread streusel that pairs perfectly with the fluffy mousse. I used crushed ginger cookies, combined them with some melted butter and baked to create a streusel.
To save time you can simply use crushed cookies on the bottom, but know that these will soften over time quicker than the streusel would.
You can pipe the mousse into any decorative mug, bowl, or mason jar. I tried to find a link to the cute mason jar mugs I have here but I don’t think they are available anymore. All I know is that Ryan got them at Chapters years ago.
If you’re a National Lampoons fan like I am, you could totally use something like the Moose mug for the mousse! How perfect would that be?? In hindsight that may have been an even more perfect option.
This Eggnog Mousse is really simple to make, and you can make it a day or two in advance since it needs some time to set anyway.
The gingerbread streusel on the bottom is not a critical component, but it adds a delicious flavour and texture, and is a perfect complement to the eggnog flavour.
Looking for more Eggnog Recipes?
Tips for Making this Eggnog Mousse
- Make sure you use cold cream, a cold bowl, and a cold whisk to whip the cream. This will make it fluffier.
- I used 6g of gelatin in this which is about 2 tsp. If you’re using sheets, it should be about 3 sheets provided they are about 6g each. Sheets may differ in weight.
- You can make this mousse a couple of days in advance and refrigerate until serving.
Eggnog Mousse
Ingredients
Gingerbread Streusel:
- 125 g gingerbread cookies crushed
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Eggnog Mousse:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup eggnog
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp gelatin 6g or three sheets (depending on size)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped out
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch ground cinnamon
Instructions
Gingerbread Streusel:
- Pulse cookies in a food processor until coarse. Place in bowl and stir in enough melted butter so that the streusel starts to clump. Spread over parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 5mins.
- Cool completely and spoon into bottom of jars/bowls.
Eggnog Mousse:
- Place cream into a bowl with a whisk (or whisk attachment) and place in fridge.*
- Sprinkle gelatin over 2 Tbsp cold water and set aside.
- Combine milk and eggnog in a bowl or large measuring cup. Place 1 1/2 cups of the milk/eggnog mixture into a pot with the spices & vanilla bean paste. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture boils.
- While the mixture is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk/eggnog mixture with egg the yolks, sugar, and corn starch to form a thick paste.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly pour the hot eggnog milk into the egg mixture.
- Return mixture to the pot and cook over med-high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil.
- Take off the heat, stir in gelatin until combined.
- Strain into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely (you can use an ice bath to speed the process).
- Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks. Pour the cooled egg mixture over the whipped cream and fold in gently.
- Pipe into mason jars or pour/scoop into bowls. Place in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours.
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Notes
Originally published on Dec 27, 2015
Ashley Hawk says
So I volunteered to make all the desserts for a charity ball for a local children’s home… oh my naivety. Needless to say I will be coming out of pocket for all of it and making roughly 6 different desserts for 50-100 people.. So my question is, in place of the heavy whipping cream will cool whip work with this? While it may not have quite the exact result it is much more cost effective for me and will help reduce time as well. But I don’t want to alter the recipe so much that the structure of it doesn’t work. I made a pumpkin mousse for thanksgiving and used cool whip instead of the whipping cream. I usually make my own but to save time I tried it and it worked fine. Just wondering for the sake of this recipe
Olivia says
Hi Ashley! I haven’t tried it with cool whip myself but I suspect it would probably work fine 🙂
Lauren Barnes says
Hoping to make these.. Do you know how many gelatin leaves this would use??
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! It depends on the size of the sheets I suppose. I think the ones we had in school were long rectangles and weighed 2g each, so maybe 3 of those?
Amy says
I just found this recipe and it looks so yummy. I am going to give it a try as a filling for my yule log cake. I hope it works out well. I’m a baking newbie and tend to try things a bit above my skill level. fingers crossed
Olivia says
Hi Amy! I worry that this mousse might be a little loose as a filling for a yule log, but let me know how it turns out!
Ginger Wroot says
First of all, your photos are amazing. And secondly, I LOVE eggnog, so I’m definitely going to try this yummy looking recipe. It looks so rich and elegant! Happy New Year to you!
–G
Olivia says
Thanks so much! Let me know how you like it and Happy New Year to you as well!
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
These look AWESOME! LOVE the addition of the streusel for the added texture to these creamy, dreamy clouds of yumminess!!
Olivia says
The streusel makes this IMO, and thank you! <3 😀
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating says
Oh dear lord, this looks amazing. I am a huge sucker for homemade eggnog and pot-de-creme/mousse desserts. And gingerbread cookies. Pretty much everything about this dessert. And I’ve only had eggnog once this year!!! This may be something I need to indulge in, stat.
Olivia says
Thanks Caroline! I hope you try it :D.
Jess @ Sweetest Menu says
Oh Liv, this looks incredible! I LOVE eggnog, but eggnog mousse sounds like a whole new level! Magical my friend!
Amanda | The Cinnamon Scrolls says
Yeah… not a fan of pastry cream either. The only one I truly enjoyed was a strawberry version made my one of my friends. Also custard — Yuck. But these look so adorable! You definitely have me intrigued based on the gingerbread streusel!
Olivia says
The gingerbread streusel is what makes this for me! And I’m glad to have you on my anti-pastry cream/custard team! 😀
Charlene Wyenberg says
This looks so good! I’m definitely trying this for New Years dinner! ??
Olivia says
Thanks so much Charlene! I hope you love it! 🙂
Angela says
WOW! Looks and sounds soooo scrumptious, Olivia!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Angela! xo
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
That looks perfect! As a huge eggnog fan, I’d definitely take a mug of this 🙂 Love the addition of gingerbread streusel, sounds like a great pairing!
Olivia says
Thanks so much June! The gingerbread streusel makes this IMO :).