Eggnog twist: add ice cream

Christmas means eggnog.

OK, well, maybe that's something of an overstatement. Regardless, eggnog is a tradition in many households.

The allure for some is the frothy combination of milk, eggs and sugar. For others, it's the bourbon, rum or some other alcoholic additive used to spice the beverage.

Reader Judy Richwine of Urbanna wrote in seeking a recipe for a version of eggnog made with ice cream.

Several readers stepped forward with recipes.

Christine Williams makes it with vanilla ice cream; commercial, pasteurized eggnog; and bourbon.

"It is so easy and really tastes good and is rich," said Williams, who lives in Henrico County. "I think it is better with the bourbon in it, but, when necessary, I have made it without using the bourbon. Of course, there are probably some who would like to make it with more [bourbon] than what is called for in the recipe, but it could be dangerous!"

Ann Ober or Richmond offered a recipe using eggnog ice cream instead of actual eggnog. It combines the ice cream, rum, brandy, milk and nutmeg.

"It is simple, and it is very good," she said.

Ober later added a warning after purchasing what she thought was eggnog ice cream but turned out to be "frozen dairy dessert." It didn't work.

"You cannot make eggnog with this stuff," she said. "It is gummy and just awful."

Jerry and Virginia Carpenter called to say they, too, like using eggnog ice cream in their holiday brew and put in a plug for a specific brand: Baskin-Robbins eggnog ice cream, a seasonal offering.

Georga Crystal Pedroli of Chesterfield County makes her eggnog the old-fashioned way: with actual eggs, sugar and milk -- plus bourbon, brandy or rum and vanilla ice cream.

"We have been using this recipe for over 40 years," she said. "We always make two batches: one without alcohol for the children and those adults who prefer it that way, and one with alcohol."

Just be aware that raw, unpasteurized eggs can sometimes carry salmonella.
Send your recipe requests, answers and your best recipes to Bill Lohmann at or P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293. Please put "Recipe Exchange" in the subject field or on the envelope and include your name, address and a daytime phone number.