Eggnog Cream Cheese Danish

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Eggnog Cream Cheese Danish comes together in no time and feeds the hungry masses until the presents are opened.  With a hint of eggnog in the filling and eggnog glaze on top, it’s the holidays wrapped in puff pastry.

I think I’m the only one in my house that likes eggnog. And I’m okay with that. That means if I buy a bottle, I get to have the WHOLE bottle. Eggnog has flavors in it the hubs doesn’t like in large quantities. And, well, eggnog is pretty much based on those flavors.

Eggnog is like cilantro, I think. You either love it or cannot stand it. I’m the latter for cilantro, but the former for eggnog. Because I love all those spices and flavors that are in eggnog. And maybe you don’t like because you only associate that ready-made grocery version with eggnog. It might be a different story if you have some that is homemade and not filled with all that sweet and spice. Just a thought.

 

Y’all know me. I wanted to know where eggnog came from.

The Oxford English Dictionary calls nog a strong beer and find use of the word starting from 1693. Then there’s the nogging, which is a small wooden cup. And, well, we all know that eggnog is sipped from cups. Usually punch cups because if you have a large coffee cup like we have in the morning, you’d probably be drinking your days calories in that mug.

Another historian combines the two based on Colonial grog which was slang for rum and noggin for the small mugs it was served in. It was called egg and grog and finally shortened to eggnog at some point in time. This seems a bit far fetched for me.

Most, I think, attribute it to egg nog which is a egg and rum drink. A Maryland clergyman wrote a poem about an egg-nog drink. The next printed use of the word came in 1788 and then finally in 1869 it appears in a dictionary. But none of this really explains HOW the drink came about.

It’s attributed to the medieval drink called posset. Posset is a warmed milk that is curdled with either wine or ale and flavored with spices. The addition of the eggs just appears in the 13th century when it was written that some monks enjoyed it with eggs and figs.

When it crosses the Atlantic and comes to the Americas, it was the taxation of wine and ale that changed the spirits to rum. Rum was readily and easily obtainable from the Caribbean. And with dairy and eggs in abundance, the popularity of the drink continued to grow.

What is in eggnog?

Traditionally, it’s made with milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, alcohol or some sort, and spices. Yes. Raw eggs. This is where you need to make sure the eggs you use are fresh. This part wigs people out, I’m sure, but not me. I mean, they probably eat traditional Caesar salads. That dressing calls for a raw egg yolk. And anchovies. Just saying.

There are some recipes that call for the eggs to be separated. This allows you to whip the whites and make a fluffier egg nog. But traditionally, it’s more of a custard consistency. Like a sipping custard. And the main difference between eggnog and sipping custard are the spices that are added to eggnog. And the sipping custard as a slightly thinner consistency, I think. Don’t quote me on that.

What’s a Tom and Jerry?

You’ve seen those mugs at flea markets and antique stores I’m sure. Well, the Tom and Jerry is a popular cocktail that is similar to eggnog, but isn’t really eggnog. You make the batter which is eggnog-esque. Then you add the batter along with the other ingredients of the cocktail into the mug.

And just to confuse things a little more, the coquito is nothing like eggnog even though sometimes it’s called eggnog. Or Puerto Rican eggnog. It has NOTHING in common with eggnog. It’s sweetened condensed milk, cream of coconut, spices, and rum. That’s crack in a cup for sure. I might have to make some of that this year, too.

I have one eggnog recipe on my blog. That might change as I still have most of the container in the fridge. I took a container of eggnog and boiled it down so it became thick like sweetened condensed milk. Basically, I made sweetened condensed eggnog. Oh yes. I did. And then I made eggnog macaroons with it! And they were fabulous!

That eggnog flavor is hidden in there with some cream cheese. Unless someone tells you it’s a eggnog cream cheese danish, you’d just assume it’s a cheese danish. Then there’s the hint of eggnog in the filling and even more flavor in the glaze.

I didn’t plan on adding a glaze to this Eggnog Cream Cheese Danish. I’m just not really a glaze person, but the eggnog flavor was so subtle I really wanted to amp it up. So, I made a glaze. And that did the trick! And it also makes the danish that much more decadent and delicious.

 

I love that this Eggnog Cream Cheese Danish recipe comes together in minutes!

I think you have to wait longer for the cream cheese to soften than it takes to make and bake this danish. It’s cream cheese with sugar, egg, and eggnog. The flour went in at the last minute because the filling seemed a bit too loose for my liking. And I was when I assembled and popped it into the oven that it would bake out. But the flour did the trick!

Oh and I added the eggnog to the egg wash that I brushed on the puff pastry before baking. The egg wash gives it that classic almost shiny look to the pastry. Something that I always look for in a good pastry or danish; that browned and shiny exterior.

Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek 2020! Co-hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures! What better way to celebrate the holidays than with food and fun? 21 bloggers from around the country have come together to share some of their favorite sweet Christmas recipes!! Deck the halls and get ready for very merry sweet treats, like fudge, cookies, Christmas morning breakfasts, layer cakes, cocoa, and more! Follow along on social media with our #ChristmasSweetsWeek hashtag. Happy Holidays!

Enjoy these #ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes from our bloggers:

Breakfast and Baked Goods Recipes
Eggnog Cream Cheese Danish by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Candy and Fudge Recipes
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bites by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Hard Cinnamon Candy by Blogghetti
Papaya Halwa by Palatable Pastime
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge by An Affair from the Heart

Pastry and Dessert Recipes
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies by Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
Chocolate Saltine Toffee by For the Love of Food
Christmas Snack Board by Love & Confections
Hot Chocolate cookies by Christmas Tree Lane
Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies by The Spiffy Cookie