When kids head off to college, whether you want them to or not, your holiday traditions inevitably change. Suddenly you're decorating the tree by yourself while the kids are at school taking finals, heading to the annual town Holiday Walk with just your husband, and your favorite holiday elf movie just isn't the same without the kids laughing along with you on the couch.
But I swore I wouldn't let our lost traditions dampen my holiday spirit this year. So I enlisted my niece, 11, and nephew, 8, in creating some new holiday activities in the hopes of creating some new traditions.
ENTER Hood Golden Eggnog. Can you believe my niece and nephew had never tried it? Luke gulped it down and then asked for some more. "It's super creamy," he said. Mission accomplished. Kylee, our little baker, heard there were some recipes on the Hood website to make, so she took a few sips and then saved the rest to use in the Chocolate-Filled Eggnog Cupcakes she chose to make.
This recipe is super easy and great for little ones who love to bake.
What you'll need:
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- Hood Eggnog
- 4 ounces of dark chocolate candies
First, Kylee took the helm (with a little egg-cracking help from Luke) and made the cupcake batter according to the cake mix package directions with a dash of nutmeg and substituting the water with Hood Eggnog. Meanwhile, after washing up from the egg cracking, Luke melted the chocolates in the microwave, stirring occasionally, and after he let it cool, he mixed it up with 3/4 cup of the cupcake batter. Then he and Kylee teamed up to fill the cupcake tins. Kylee with a tablespoon of yellow batter, Luke following up with a teaspoon of the chocolate, and Kylee topping it off with a heaping tablespoon of the yellow mixture to cover all the chocolate. We also made a buttercream frosting with a splash of Hood Eggnog for good measure. You can find the full recipe HERE.
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After the cupcakes were baked, cooled, and frosted, we took them into the living room with large glasses of Hood Golden Eggnog to wash them down, settled ourselves by the lighted tree I brought from home, and read a Christmas story. A NEW tradition was born (my college kids were a little jealous) and the rich, creamy Hood Eggnog made for some delectable cupcakes.
Everyone went to bed that night with full bellies and dreams of Hood Eggnog recipes dancing in their heads. Or rather dreams of Christmas Hood Eggnog French Toast. You have to check out that recipe!
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We had so much fun that we didn't want to wait a whole year before trying another Hood Eggnog recipe (because you know Hood Eggnog is only around during the holiday season, right?). So we decided we'd schedule another Hood Eggnog recipe night Dec. 18 for WBUR’s 16th Annual Reading of “A Christmas Carol." WBUR hosts, including Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing, Jack Lepiarz, Bob Oakes, and Robin Young will read Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol" divided into five parts — as edited by Dickens for public readings. The sections will be separated by carols sung by one of Boston’s local choirs.
This year, the event will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube, allowing for unlimited event attendance in 2020. You can feel good about purchasing tickets as they benefit Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women. Tickets can be purchased here.
Now we're just trying to figure out what pairs best with "A Christmas Carol." Chocolate Churro Eggnog Milkshakes or Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies? Maybe both?
So thank you Hood Eggnog for keeping my holiday spirits bright and helping me create new holiday traditions with my niece and nephew until my college kiddos come home.
* I received complimentary Hood Golden Eggnog and compensation for the purpose of this article, but all opinions are my own.
