… it smells YUMMY in my kitchen right now!
I like more people than I can afford to give gifts to. I try to give something to the people who come to my classes at the health club, for example, and to the girls’ teachers and bus driver. Since I don’t always know these people well enough to know what a good gift for them would be, I cover all my bases by baking. I don’t know that anyone has ever been disappointed to get a little mini-loaf of something yummy and I know for sure that certain of my fitness class participants make a point of coming to the last class before the Christmas holiday so they can collect on the yummy that they know I’m supplying. (I tease them and say that my goal is to replace all of the calories I’ve taken from them over the course of the year…)
One of my favorite holiday sweetie recipes is for eggnog poppy seed bread. It’s another one of my signature “stupid easy” concotions that I have consistent good luck with year after year. While I’m not overly fond of eggnog as a drink - I like it, but it’s not something I look forward to every Christmas season - I do love this recipe. Since love is better when it’s shared, I’m offering it here for you.
Happy baking!
Preheat your oven to 350 and grease the bottom of a mini-loaf pan (you can also make these as muffins or as a single quick bread loaf - grease the bottom of a loaf pan or line muffin tins with papers).
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar, 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, a scant 1/4 cup of poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon each of nutmeg and salt and, if you have it, 1 tablespoon of grated orange peel (I didn’t have that this time around, but I don’t think the cakes suffered from its absence).
In another bowl (I use a measuring cup), combine 1 1/4 cups of eggnog, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and an egg and mix well with a fork.
Dump the wet ingredients over the dry and stir just until combined. Portion the batter into your pan of choice and bake until a toothpick comes out clean - your time will vary widely depending on what pan you chose for your sweeties; muffins take about 12 minutes, mini-loaves take about 16 and a full loaf will take the better part of an hour.
Wrap your finished product in foil and keep cool - these should be stored in the refrigerator.
Trust me when I tell you, “mmmmmmm!”
looks good. i’ll be waiting on my divan for a small loaf and a pot of tea.
kthxbai.
Those do look good. I loved my grandmother’s homemade eggnog, but I cannot stand the store bought poser. One year, when we were teens, she couldn’t remember if she had put in the bourbon yet. She had, but we told her she didn’t. So it was double strength. No one could figure out why they all wanted naps so badly that afternoon.
those look so yummy. thanks for sharing the recipe…
These even look easy enough for me to make.
And they TASTE yummy, too! Thankee, my friend.