Upgrade The Flavor Of Pumpkin Pie With One Holiday Drink

Fall means pumpkin-flavored everything, from drinks, to dinners, to desserts. A perfect pumpkin goodie has a rich, spiced taste that spreads the feeling of warmth in the chillier seasons. One of the most iconic desserts of this season is, of course, pumpkin pie — but why confine this holiday classic to just autumn? Upgrade this year's pumpkin pie recipe and infuse it with some cheer by adding eggnog. Take your favorite recipe, like a brown butter salted maple pumpkin pie, and substitute the eggs and dairy for about a cup and a half of eggnog.  

Eggnog is another holiday classic that combines the best of sugar and spice, and incorporating the drink into your base will add a delightful texture to your pie. Pumpkin pie and eggnog have almost entirely overlapping spices — including cinnamon and nutmeg — which make them naturally compatible in flavor. Adding eggnog to your pumpkin pie filling keeps that same traditional taste that we all know and love while creating a creamier texture that makes for a more custard-like finish and a lighter filling. It's all your holiday favorites in one delicious bite that you can easily bake up in a homemade flaky, all-purpose pie crust and keep the festivities going all season long.

Now, many believe that eggnog is best with a splash or two (or three) of alcohol, specifically rum. While alcohol can be baked into pies — like another holiday classic, a spiked pecan pie — some recipes recommend using rum extract. Rum extract allows you to add the cinnamon and vanilla flavors of the drink to your pumpkin pie and eggnog batter without having to worry about using alcohol, and it will bring out that boozy flavor a bit more for those who prefer their eggnog spiked. Note that this pie works best with store-bought eggnog, which you'll want to make sure doesn't already include alcohol.

Another upgrade to your eggnog pumpkin pie actually flips the recipe on its head to give you pumpkin pie-flavored eggnog. For those who want to combine these holiday classics without the hassle of baking a pie, try adding a small amount of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to your eggnog batch. Once you know how to easily make your own pumpkin pie spice, mixing it into your eggnog brings that autumnal warmth into this hearty drink. Not to mention the pumpkin puree will thicken the drink so it has a fuller, creamier texture. Whatever path you take, you can't go wrong this holiday season when you combine eggnog and pumpkin pie.