Hosting a Holiday Party with Craft Beer

Individual Eggnog Pudding and Gingerbread Trifles

This recipe combines two traditional flavors of the season – eggnog and gingerbread. The pudding makes it rich and creamy while the molasses and cloves in the gingerbread add a spicy zing.

Pair this with a stout that has notes of chocolate, espresso, or raisins, such as Reuben’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

Ingredients:

2 5-ounce boxes of instant vanilla pudding

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, divided

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup molasses

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped pecans

Whipped cream, homemade or store bought

Directions:

In a large bowl, make the vanilla pudding according to the directions on the boxes. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of the nutmeg. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator to set.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all the other ingredients together, including the remaining ½-teaspoon of nutmeg.

Thoroughly grease two cupcake pans or use liners. Fill each cup almost to the top with batter. It’s okay if it spills out while baking. Bake for at least 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the trifles, cut or tear a cupcake into small pieces. Layer those pieces at the bottom of a juice glass or some other container that holds about 4 ounces. Add a layer of pudding, another layer of gingerbread, and finish with a layer of pudding. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of pecans.

Makes about 20 trifles, with cupcakes left over.