This Eggnog Mousse with Gingerbread Streusel is the perfect make-ahead dessert for your holiday entertaining!
Christmas 2015 has come to a close, but I’m betting you still have some eggnog taking up shelf space in your fridge like I do. If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m actually not the biggest fan of eggnog. I find it way too thick, and don’t like the flavour on its own. Ironically, it seems I can’t stay away from it when it comes to baking. It adds such a unique and delicious flavour to cakes and frostings!
The first time I made this Eggnog Mousse was last year, with my friend Lindsay as part of our Final Menu Development in Pastry School. Ryan and a few lucky others got to sample it at that time, and he’s been asking me to make it ever since, as he had to share his portion with some friends. I’ll be completely honest, I never liked the taste of this mousse. It uses pastry cream as a base, which is maybe my least favourite thing in the baking world. Pastry cream is what’s typically used to fill cream puffs or eclairs, and I’ve never been a fan. I’m definitely in the minority here, I know, but it’s just not my thing.
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!
I changed up the recipe only slightly from the one we made last year. In school, we didn’t actually use any eggnog in this, just eggnog components. This year I wanted to intensify that eggnog flavour a bit, so I used some eggnog in the mousse itself. The base is a simple gingerbread streusel that pairs perfectly with the fluffy mousse.
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 compliment to the eggnog flavour.
Eggnog Mousse
Ingredients
Gingerbread Streusel:
- 125 g gingerbread cookies crushed
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Eggnog Mousse:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup eggnog
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 150g
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch 14g
- 6 g gelatin
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped out
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ground
- pinch cloves ground
- pinch cinnamon ground
Instructions
Gingerbread Streusel:
- Pulse cookies in a food processor until coarse. Place in bowl and stir in melted butter. Spread over parchment lined sheet pan 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 2T cold water and set aside.
- Combine milk and eggnog into a bowl or large measuring cup. Place 3/4 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, whisk remaining milk/eggnog with egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch in a medium bowl to form a thick paste.
- Temper the boiling milk into the eggs by whisking eggs quickly while pouring milk slowly into the bowl.
- Return the mixture to the pot and whisk constantly over med-high heat until it boils.
- Take off the heat, stir in gelatin.
- Strain into a bowl and cool completely (you can use an ice bath to speed the process).
- Whip cream until thick.
- Once egg mixture has cooled, pour over 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
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 :).