How to Complicate Something Simple, Christmas Edition

The last few years, I've tried to keep Christmas gifts simple — find something funky that works as a gift for most everybody. 

This year, I decided to get crafty. True to form, I couldn't just pick one thing,
I had to make three related ones. 

Today, I finished labeling and packaging the last of them.

Phew!

Two full days before Christmas, so what the heck, there's plenty of time for one more thing, right?!?

I happened to mention the other day that I made hot buttered rum batter as Christmas gifts one year. I think that was the year after the home-roasted coffee? A friend said, wow, I want to be on your list!

So I'm thinking that's easy-peasy. I have everything I need to whip up a small batch and share some. 

I could probably wing it with good results, but I started researching recipes to refresh my memory. Did you know some people put ice cream in their hot buttered rum batter? I didn't, but it seems plausible, if a bit more like a Tom & Jerry than a true Hot Buttered Rum. 

But that got me to thinking...why not just incorporate some Crème Anglaise into the batter instead of buying ice cream? Why do something the easy way when you don't have to! 

To be fair, there are eggs and cream in the fridge that need to be used up, so it sort of makes sense. Crème Anglaise isn't hard to make, though it admittedly is more work than scooping ice cream. The All Recipes version of Crème Anglaise looks solid.

I also saw a number of folks using brown butter for their batter. Seems like a capital idea, as brown butter will introduce a lovely nutty flavor. 

My plan is to melt the butter and pour off enough to infuse the spices, and make brown butter with the rest. It would be tricky to do both at once, as the spices will color the butter and make it hard to tell when it hits the correct degree of "brown". (There's a fine line between yummy-roasty and icky-burnt.)

I'll make and chill both the Crème Anglaise and infused & browned butter before mixing the batter. When it comes time to mix them, I'll bust out the electic hand mixer to whip it together. I don't think I'll be making a big enough batch to warrant the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. 

Like the recipes that use ice cream, this version should be used within a few days or stored in the freezer. In the freezer, it should be good for a few months.

Recipe to follow once I've actually put it all together and tasted it!

Skåll!

P.S. 

This is somehow my first cooking-related post of 2025! I did cook, but kitchen experiments and blog posts have kind of taken a back seat to...everything else. This year absolutely flew by — big travel, major events, ambitious art, and a fuller social calendar than I've had possibly ever. 

Life is amazing...but I'm going to try to do a better job of writing about my cooking adventures in 2026. This year, I successfully organized & prepared multiple dinners for 80+ people, had my first adventures in sourdough, and made rullepølse for the first time with an amazing group of friends who said "Let's do it!". I really should have taken more notes! That's really what this blog is about. Well, that, and exercising my writing muscles now and then. It's a total bonus if anyone else finds my musings amusing.