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This Soft-Serve Eggnog Ice Cream is a dead ringer for the Thomas family’s traditional Christmas Eve frozen eggnog drink – only Trim Healthy Mama friendly, low carb, and refined sugar free!
I grew up enjoying an eggnog milkshake of sorts every Christmas Eve with my family and thought that was what all eggnog tasted like…until I tasted some “traditional” gloopy storebought eggnog somewhere. Blegh. I guess we humans tend to like what we’re accustomed to! Since my childhood I’ve learned that people have all kinds of eggnog traditions, and very few are the same as what I grew up on. My mom’s eggnog has ’em all beat: lots of vanilla ice cream + brown sugar + milk + raw eggs + a tiny bit of nutmeg (not enough to overpower) and no rum flavor.
OK, so basically a vanilla milkshake with raw eggs and added depth of flavor from the brown sugar. Suits me.
But it sure ain’t healthy. Enter this Soft-Serve Eggnog Ice Cream. It tastes like my mom’s eggnog, only more ice creamy. I like to serve it as a soft serve so a) it’s more like the milkshake I grew up on, and b) I don’t have to wait for it to firm up in the freezer. If you want to be ahead of the game you can make the base the day before and chill it overnight so it’s ready to churn and serve whenever you want some soft-serve eggnog ice cream.
This recipe actually has a leg up on the traditional Thomas family eggnog because the eggs and egg yolks in this ice cream base are cooked! I personally don’t mind a few raw eggs here and there, but I knew a lot of you would raise your collective eyebrow – and cooked ice cream bases have better textures anyway, so win, win.
Do you prefer hot eggnog?
Hey, you might even be able to make this ice cream base into your favorite hot drinkable eggnog by omitting the vegetable glycerin and thinning the custard down by omitting the whole eggs (but still using the 4 egg yolks) and/or reducing the glucomannan. If anyone experiments with this, I’d love to hear about the results!
Do I have to use vegetable glycerin?
I keep getting this question. 😛 The answer is that I highly, highly recommend it based on the info given in the notes section of the recipe below: it really improves the texture of the ice cream and keeps it from sticking to the sides of the ice cream churn. I started my homemade ice cream career without vegetable glycerin, but since I tried it a few years ago I don’t make ice cream without it. I usually buy it online (CLICK HERE).
I’m not a big fan of lots of nutmeg, so I went easy on it in this recipe. I didn’t add any rum extract either. Feel free to add more of both if that’s what you like!
Looking for a hot eggnog drink for one person? CLICK HERE!
Be sure to check out the Notes section!
The notes section of the recipe below contains answers to lots of FAQs such as, “Can I substitute another sweetener?” “What if I don’t have vegetable glycerin?” “Do I have to use glucomannan?” “Can I make this without an ice cream churn?” Etc.
If you’re in the market for an ice cream churn, CLICK HERE to see the one I use and recommend wholeheartedly!
Coming up soon…
Bri’s Better-Than-Ranch Dressing as well as some Chocolate Custard Chia “Tapioca”. CLICK HERE to sign up for my email newsletter to make sure you see all my new recipes when they’re published!
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STARTING THM
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MY RECIPE INDEX
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RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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THE YUMMY EGGNOG DETOX – A HOT THM DEEP S VELVETY-STYLE DRINK
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FROZEN EGGNOG – A THM S BLENDED EGGNOG FROZEN DRINK
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups unsweetened almond or cashew milk
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup xylitol (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt (scant)
- ½ teaspoon glucomannan
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- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
- ⅛ teaspoon + 2 doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (a doonk is 1/32 teaspoon)
- Dash rum extract (optional; I prefer it without)
- Blend the first set of ingredients together until smooth, adding the glucomannan right before blending so it doesn't clump. (I blend with an immersion blender right in a saucepan.) Transfer to a saucepan on the stovetop and heat over medium to medium-low heat, whisking often. You want to pull the ice cream base off the heat just as it starts to bubble and thicken; if you leave it on the heat too long you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. The mixture will become frothy and puff up a bit and get thicker; these are your signs to pull the pan off the burner. (General rule of thumb: pull it off before you think it’s done.)
- Add the second set of ingredients to the ice cream base and blend or whisk to incorporate. Let the ice cream base cool in the counter, then cover and refrigerate to chill completely before churning. (Chilling overnight works great.)
- After the base is completely chilled, churn it in a 1.5 quart automatic countertop ice cream churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Because of the xylitol and vegetable glycerin the ice cream will probably only reach a soft-serve consistency in the churn. I like to eat it like this because it reminds me of my family’s tradition of vanilla ice cream milkshake-y eggnog on Christmas Eve, but if you want it to be firmer, transfer to a shallow airtight container and freeze for a few hours before eating.
- I like to eat my eggnog ice cream at a soft-serve consistency garnished with some Reddi-wip, a slight drizzle of molasses, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Or Reddi-wip and peanut butter.
-Up to ¼ teaspoon molasses per serving is allowed on the THM plan for flavor. In this recipe it mimics a brown sugar flavor.
-Xanthan gum can usually be substituted 1:1 for glucomannan and is easier to source locally.
-Vegetable glycerin improves the texture of the ice cream and keeps it from sticking to the sides of the ice cream maker. CLICK HERE to see my recommendation.
-I highly recommend this ice cream churn because it’s super easy to use, but if you don’t have one you could try freezing the ice cream base as ice cubes, then letting the ice cubes soften a bit before blending to a soft-serve consistency in a high-powered blender.
-Leftover ice cream will freeze hard when frozen for an extended period of time. Let it thaw on the counter for 30-40 minutes or in the fridge for 3 hours or so to bring it to a nicely scoopable consistency.
-Nutrition information calculated per half cup serving. Allergy and nutrition information do not include any toppings.
ALLERGY INFO:
-Gluten free
-Nut free if you use carton coconut milk in place of almond or cashew milk. Most people with tree nut allergies can eat coconut products, but confirm with your doctor first.
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