Begin by sifting the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda together, or whisking them in a bowl. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter for 1 minute.
Add the brown sugar and cream for another minute over medium high speed until fluffy.
Add the molasses and egg, and mix until incorporated.
Add the flour to the bowl and stir until combined.
Don’t overmix the dough, or it will become tough later.
Transfer the dough to the counter, and patch it together to form a ball.
Wrap it in plastic and press down gently to form a disk.
Place the dough in the fridge.
Let it sit for 2 hours or up to one day. Or freeze for up to 1 month.
Remove from the fridge, sprinkle flour on the counter.
Transfer the dough to the counter, and begin to roll it out with a rolling pin until about 1/4” thick.
Then transfer the dough to a pie plate of 9 or 10” diameter. If the dough breaks up it’s totally fine, you can just use your fingers to press it together and patch it up.
Press the dough down the bottom and up the sides of the pie or tart plate.
Then use a knife to trim off the excess of dough on the top.
Poke the bottom of the crust with a knife or fork.
Place the crust in the freezer while you pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
After 15 minutes, bake the crust in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes, until the crust seems set and slightly golden.
Remove from the oven and let it cool down.
If you have leftover dough, you can roll it out, cut into shapes like stars or gingerbread men, then place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat, and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, until set and slightly golden around the edges. I’ve used gingerbread stars made from the crust leftover to decorate the top of the pie.
Eggnog Filling
Pour 2 tbsp of cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture blooms and thickens up.
Meanwhile gently heat another 2 tbsp of water in the microwave.
Pour the hot water over the gelatin mixture.
Stir with a spoon until the gelatin has completely dissolved. If there are still chunks of gelatin in the mixture, insert the bowl in the microwave and microwave it for 5 to 10 second intervals, stirring in between, to dissolve the gelatin completely. Don’t overheat it.
Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until super fluffy.
Add the Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, the remaining 1 cup of eggnog, the lemon juice, the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cream until incorporated for about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl in between.
Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the bowl.
Mix until combined.
Pour on the bottom of the cooled down baked crust.
Place it in the fridge for 6 hours, or overnight.
Before serving, top with the cookies, the sugared cranberry, some rosemary sprigs, anise stars, and a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired.
Storage
The Eggnog Pie will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Sugared Cranberries
Begin by placing 3 tablespoons of water along with 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar melts. Once the sugar has melted, turn the heat off, add the cranberries to the syrup and stir for about 1 minute.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries and spread them on a baking tray lined with a cooling rack.
Let the cranberries air dry for about 1 hour. Pour the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. Roll the cranberries in the sugar one by one, and then place them in a bowl. Keep the sugared cranberries in the fridge, so the sugar coating hardens up.
Notes
Pie plate: if using a 9 or 8” pie plate, you may have leftover eggnog filling. Pour it in a container and place it in the fridge as eat with a spoon as pudding, or as a panna cotta.Gingerbread crust: roll out the leftover dough and cut shapes out of it to make cookies to decorate the top of the pie. Baking time for the cookies will depend on how large you cut them and how thick they are. I used Sallys Baking Addiction royal icing to decorate some of my cookies.Gelatin: the gelatin might take a little longer to bloom in the eggnog than if you sprinkled it over water.Cranberries: the sugared cranberries can be made up to 3 days ahead, keep them in the fridge.