Kick off the holiday season with these delicious and festive eggnog muffins! Tender, moist, loaded with eggnog and nutmeg and topped with streusel, these muffins come together in under 10 minutes and are the perfect cozy treat for a chilly morning.
They’re sweet but not overly so, and are excellent fresh out of the oven with a smear of butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Eggnog muffins are great for leisurely holiday brunches with friends, and are particularly good for pot-luck style brunches with a wide array of sweet and savory dishes.
Pair them up with everything from eggs and bacon to decked out waffles, and give them a dunk in maple syrup for an extra hit of sweetness. Or, enjoy them on their own and wash them down with an indulgent glass of eggnog for the ultimate holiday treat.
The muffins will initially go into a very hot oven (425F) for 5 minutes, then the heat is dropped down to 350F for the rest of the bake. The initial hit of heat will give the muffin tops extra lift, leaving you with nice and high muffins that look beautiful.
What You Need to Make Eggnog Muffins
To make eggnog muffins you’ll need a handful of pantry staples, a neutral flavored oil, eggnog, vanilla extract and ground nutmeg. If you prefer a more general warming spice flavor over nutmeg, a pumpkin spice blend can be used in its place. Melted butter can be used in place of oil but may yield a drier texture.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking Powder
- Neutral Oil
- Eggs
- Butter
- Eggnog
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Ground allspice (optional)
How To Make Eggnog Muffins
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups and set aside.
Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Gently stir until everything is just mixed together and crumbly. Do not overmix. Set aside.
Make the muffin batter. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until the sugar starts to form small clumps (about 2 minutes).
Add in the eggs and whisk thoroughly for several minutes, scraping periodically, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture has lightened in color and is smooth (about 5 minutes).
Add the baking powder, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
Add the flour and eggnog to the egg mixture in batches, alternating between the flour and the eggnog. Make sure each batch is thoroughly combined before adding in the next. Start and end with the flour. Once you’ve mixed in the last batch of flour, the batter should be thick. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over each muffin. Use all of the streusel.
Bake the muffins at 425F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the muffin tops are a light golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool for at least ten minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips:
- These eggnog muffins are sprinkled with a streusel topping before baking for an extra layer of flavor and texture. The ingredients should be stirred gently and just until crumbly. Overmixing will cause the streusel to turn into a dough mass, which we don’t want.
- Muffin batter is supposed to be thick, so resist the urge to add more liquid.
Yes! Eggnog has been around for centuries and is typically served during the holidays, and warming spices, especially nutmeg, are the traditional flavors used.
So much! Eggnog is super versatile and can be used in everything from these muffins (of course) to French toast batter, rice pudding, and everything in between. Try it as a substitute for milk in oatmeal, as a creamer for coffee, or freeze it into ice cubes and use it in shakes and smoothies.
Butter and oil both work in muffins, but oil yields a moister, more tender result with cakey baked goods. Since butter solidifies when cold or at room temperature, it yields a slightly drier result, though the flavor tends to be richer. Ultimately, it boils down to your personal preference.
Eggnog Muffins
Ingredients
For the batter
- 5 tbsp neutral oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups eggnog
For the topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch allspice
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups; set aside.
- Make the streusel topping.
- Combine the streusel ingredients in a small bowl and gently stir until everything is just mixed together and crumbly; do not overmix; set aside.
- Make the muffin batter.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the sugar and oil until the sugar starts to form small clumps; about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and whisk thoroughly, scraping the sides as necessary, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture has lightened in color and is smooth; about 5 minutes.
- Add the baking powder, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and eggnog to the egg mixture in batches, alternating between the flour and the eggnog, making sure each batch is thoroughly combined before adding in the next; start and end with the flour; after the last batch of flour is added the batter should be thick; do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping over each muffin; you should use all of the streusel.
- Bake the muffins at 425F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350F.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the muffin tops are a light golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool for at least ten minutes.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Cranberry Lemon Muffins
- Cranberry Banana Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
Rebekkah is a food writer, recipe developer and sommelier who is obsessed with all things food and drink. When she isn’t lingering too long in her kitchen, she can be found making music in her apartment or traveling the globe in search of the perfect noodle.