Happy New Year! It’s crazy how quickly this year has zoomed by but I’m so ready for a fresh start. And don’t you worry, next year will be full of delicious and fun recipes, so stay tuned in 2026.
Tomorrow I’ll send out my annual recipe round up post. I list the most popular recipes of 2025 and talk a little about the coming year. If you’re looking for a place to start baking, that’s a great option because those recipes are typically a little easier, but very well liked.
But let’s shift our focus to the last recipe of 2025! This recipe has been a bit of a rollercoaster. The first test was perfect and didn’t require any changes, but when I went to film it I messed up big time and had to completely start over. It’s my own fault because I didn’t read my own directions. But the point is that I almost gave up on this recipe for times sake, but I’m glad that I didn’t because this is a pretty darn tasty recipe!
Describe This Tart to Me
Taste: The initial taste of this tart is the eggnog, with sweet spices, bourbon, and. vanilla bean. It gets complimented by the bittersweet caramelized sugar on top and neutral and gently spiced crust.
Texture: The filling is extremely delicate and creamy, just set enough to hold its shape. The sugar layer on top adds the perfect amount of crunch, while the crust adds a gentle and stable base that’s slightly flakey and ties everything together.
Ease: The crust is very simple to throw together because we use a food processor, but it needs time to chill. Once chilled however, shaping is very simple as is the filling. Baking can be a little tricky with getting it just right but with patience and planning it’s no problem
The Crust
This crust is a twist on the classic pie crust. It’s made with the same ingredients with the addition of a little molasses and spices. It comes together pretty quickly and easily in a good processor before we chill it for an hour or so. Once it’s nice and firm, we can roll it out, shape it, blind bake with pie weights, and finish off baking without the weights. Something very important to keep in mind is docking the crust. This is when we poke the bottom with a fork to prevent the air from getting trapped and forming bubbles. I missed this step my second time testing, and learned it is very important so make sure you don’t miss it.
The Filling
The filling has the same structure as your classic vanilla creme brûlée, but with half of the heavy cream being replaced by eggnog. This gives it that festive, celebratory feel without requiring us to change much about the recipe. We also add in a little bourbon and nutmeg to enhance the eggnog flavor. Otherwise this custard is made the classic way, heating the cream on the stove and tempering the eggs with it. We then pour this into our parked crust and bake until just set.
Eggnog Creme Brûlée Pie with Gingerbread Crust
Ingredients
Gingerbread crust
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- a pinch of cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter cold and cubed
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 large egg
Eggnog Custard
- 1 cup eggnog
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ Tablespoons bourbon
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for brûlée topping
Instructions
Start by making the crust
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined. Add in the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture forms pea sized crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses and egg. Pour this egg mixture into the food processor and process with the butter and flour mixture until it forms a dough.
- Press the dough into a disk and wrap in cling wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- When you are ready to bake the dough, preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Once chilled, remove the dough from the cling wrap and place on a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle, roughly 11 inches wide. Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to a 9 inch pie plate and crimp or flute the edges of the crust if desired.
- Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the parchment and weights, and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool while we make the filling.
Make the eggnog custard
- Turn the oven down to 325℉.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the eggnog, heavy cream, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- While the eggnog mixture is coming to a simmer, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, nutmeg, bourbon, and salt in a medium sized heat safe bowl. Once the cream mixture has come to a simmer, slowly stream ½ cup of the warm cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then, stream the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly.
- Carefully pour the custard into the warm pie crust and return to the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center is set and not liquid. It should still be jiggly like jello.
- Once baked, let the pie cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then cover with cling wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Once chilled, slice the pie and sprinkle each slice with a generous layer of sugar. Using a culinary torch, brûlée the sugar on top, and serve immediately!
- Leftover pie lasts up to 5 days in the sealed in the refrigerator.