Today, we headed out into the winter landscape and selected our Christmas tree.  It is a family tradition we have to head out North in our ol’ front wheel drive sleigh and cut one down ourselves.   It is a lot of work (for my husband, since he’s the one who has to cut it down, haha)

So we needed something to eat while we decorated it.  Snickerdoodles were not enough.

I find that eggnog is a very love-it or hate-it kind of beverage.  There is no gray area.  My kids love it.  I like it in small doses.  I enjoy a small glass of it if the thickness is watered down with some 7up or Sprite.  Especially when I’m decorating my Christmas tree.  Anyway, like I said, it is pretty much my kids’ favorite thing to drink around the holidays.  If I would let them, they would drink it all day long.  They actually think the one-cup-per-day limit makes me the meanest mommy ever.

So, I decided to play around with one of my favorite cookie bar recipes and make it into an eggnog  bar with an eggnog rum icing.  Boy, were they yummy.  They were soft and heavenly- full of the flavors of eggnog and the holidays.

They are Christmas in a bite.

Not really dense enough to be called a cookie bar, but not thick enough to be a cake, this is somewhere right in the middle of the two.  Ever had a pumpkin bar? The texture is like that.  You will want a fork.

Enjoy!

*You can easily leave the rum out of this recipe and just replace it with some more eggnog. *

A Rumbly in my Tumbly Original

Ingredients:

For the bars:
18.25 oz box of yellow cake mix (I used Pillsbury Supreme Butter Yellow)
1/3 cup of melted butter
2/3 cups eggnog (I use Darigold)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Spiced Rum (I used Captain Morgan’s- if you leave this out, just add an extra Tablespoon of eggnog)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

For the icing:
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Spiced Rum (again, just use extra eggnog if you want to leave this out)
2-3 Tablespoons eggnog
1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, brown sugar, eggnog, cloves, rum, and cinnamon.  Mix until combined.  Batter will be thick– don’t worry, it is supposed to be tat way.

Fit a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with a foil sling or a parchment paper sling and then spray with no-stick cooking spray.

Using your clean fingers, press the batter into the pan.  I find I have the best luck if I get my fingers a little bit wet while I do this.  It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bars comes out clean.  It is okay if they look slightly underbaked– it will make them all the fudgier after they’ve cooled.

Mix the icing ingredients together.  Add the eggnog slowly until you reach your desired consistency for your glaze.  Everyone likes it differently, I like mine on the thinner side.

Spread the glaze over warm (not hot) bars.  Cool completely and serve.  Enjoy!