Sometimes known as Holiday Batter or Tom and Jerry Batter, this hot drink hits the spot for me on cold winter evenings. It is a recipe given to me by my mother-in-law. I like it mixed with half water and half milk, sprinkled with some nutmeg, which makes it lighter than traditional egg nog. My husband sometimes puts it in his coffee or tea. A splash of brandy, or the like, is also a recommendation.
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 pounds powdered sugar
(milk, nutmeg, water, brandy, etc, are not added to the batter, but with each individual cup that is made)
Preparing the batter:
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, then gradually add one pound of the powdered sugar. This worked fine with the whisk attachment on my old Kitchen Aid mixer.
Set that aside.
Beat the egg yolks until they are creamy, then add the other pound of powdered sugar to them. I found that adding about half of this last pound of powdered sugar to the yolks worked well with the whisk attachment, but then I needed to switch to the paddle attachment.
Mix the two egg-sugar combinations together. The egg yolks with sugar are pretty sticky, so I found it necessary to use a spatula to loosen them from the bottom of the bowl before they would mix with the egg white mixture. I also needed turn off the mixer and do it 3-4 times during the mixing process. Still, it only took me about 3 minutes.
The batter will store in the refrigerator for a few weeks. It does separate some, but is easy to mix with a spoon right before using.
To prepare a mug of warm holiday drink:
Put 1-2 tablespoons of batter in the bottom of a mug.
Add about half a mug’s worth of water.
Stir until dissolved.
Add milk to fill the mug.
Reheat to desired temperature in microwave, if you haven’t used heated milk.
Sprinkle with nutmeg.
It is a fun version of that cup of warm milk before bed. All the possible variations make it a drink the whole family can enjoy together. It is relatively inexpensive to make one batch and, with only needing 1-2 tablespoons per serving, it goes a long way towards helping to celebrate the festive season.
