It is with great delight that I introduce guest blogger Stacy.

Stacy Brooks is a Minneapolis-based blogger and freelance writer. Her blog, Tangled Up In Food, features mostly-vegetarian seasonal recipes, restaurant and product reviews, and food-focused travel writing. Stacy loves summers in Minnesota, roasting sweet potatoes, and bread in any form.

‘Tis the season for holiday flavors: peppermint candy canes melting into steaming mugs of hot chocolate, carefully iced gingerbread men, cups of spiced eggnog. Although I can eat more candy canes and gingerbread in one sitting that I really should, eggnog is a holiday treat I enjoy in very, very small doses. Usually, a few sips are enough–I love the distinctive flavor of nutmeg and cloves, but the thick, syrupy texture just doesn’t work for me. So what to do with an almost full carton of eggnog, minus a few sips? Make eggnog bread!

Eggnog Bread With Streusel Topping Recipe

This recipe is a riff on a classic quick bread, but with eggnog standing in for the milk and a bold dose of nutmeg and cloves. A streusel topping adds will some crunch and a bit more spice. The bread is certainly rich, but it also has the lightness that eggnog itself often lacks. It would make for a lovely Christmas breakfast, perfect for nibbling with a cup of coffee.

Eggnog Bread with Streusel Topping

Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup eggnog
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease the short ends of an 8 inch x 4 inch loaf pan. Line the sides and bottom of the pan with a sheet of wax paper, leaving a few inches of extra wax paper on each side so that the bread can be easily lifted from the pan.
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon cloves until well-combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggnog, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggnog mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix gently just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
In a medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and pinch cloves until well-combined. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly, with the consistency of wet sand.
Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over the batter.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until the streusel topping is browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Place loaf in pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Holding both sides of the wax paper, remove loaf from pan, gently loosening the ends with a spatula if needed. Place loaf on wire rack to cool completely. Peel wax paper from cooled loaf.
The bread is best the day it's made, but it can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container lined with paper towel for up to 2 days.