Classic Creme Brulee Recipe | Wanderzest (2024)

Published: Jan 9, 2018 · Modified: Jan 19, 2023 by Ashley · This post may contain affiliate links. · Leave a Comment

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Creme Brulee is an easy and elegant dessert perfect for any occasion! Top the rich and creamy baked custard with fresh berries for a sweet treat that is sure to impress your guests.

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Creme brulee is the perfect dessert for any occasion, from Valentine's Day to a casual dinner with friends; it never fails to impress. This French delicacy may sound intimidating and better reserved for a nice restaurant, but it's surprisingly easy to make in your own kitchen and with a handful of basic ingredients!

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🍮 What is Creme Brulee?
🥘 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
🍫 Flavor Ideas
🍓 Topping Suggestions
🥣 Dishes for Baking Creme Brulee
🍴 Storage
🌟 Top Tips
💭 FAQs
📋 Recipe
⭐ Reviews

🍮 What is Creme Brulee?

Creme Brulee is a classic French dessert that is made of a decadent custard base topped with a crunchy layer of sweet caramelized sugar. The custard base is made of heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract, while the caramelized sugar topping is made by melting sugar sprinkled on top of the custard with a kitchen torch.

The dessert is chilled for several hours before serving, which contrasts the creamy cold custard and the crunchy caramelized sugar. The fun textures and flavors of creme brulee make it an enticing dessert for any gathering, get-together, or even a cozy night at home. Everyone is sure to love it!

Classic Creme Brulee Recipe | Wanderzest (2)

🥘 Ingredients

Heavy cream
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Salt
Egg yolks
Toppings: Check out my topping ideas below!

🔪 Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare sixramekins/mason jars and a 9x13 pan for baking the custard.
Add egg yolks to a largemixing bowl. Whisk until pale in color.
In asaucepan, whisk together cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook the mixture over medium heat.
Temper the egg yolks by pouring a small amount of the hot cream into the mixing bowl. Whisk well. Continue adding the cream until incorporated into the egg yolks.
Evenly distribute the custard into the prepared ramekins or mason jars. Set the filled ramekins/jars into the prepared 9x13 pan. Fill the pan with boiling water.
Bake the crème brûlée for 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove the ramekins/jars from the oven, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle sugar over the custard. Use a food torch to caramelize the sugar.
Serve crème brûlée immediately with toppings of choice, if desired.

Classic Creme Brulee Recipe | Wanderzest (3)

🍫 Flavor Ideas

Creme brulee is incredibly versatile, which means you can easily add different flavors to create a "new" dessert! Here are some of my favorite flavor ideas.

Lavender: Add 1 teaspoon to the cream mixture in the saucepan.
Chocolate: Stir in 8 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate after removing the cream mixture from the heat.
Coconut: Replace 1.5 cups of heavy cream with 1.5 cups of full-fat canned coconut milk. Replace the vanilla extract with equal amounts of coconut extract.
Citrus: Add 2 teaspoons of orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit zest to the cream mixture.
Salted caramel: Stir in ⅓ cup salted caramel sauce to the cream mixture.

🍓 Topping Suggestions

This dessert certainly stands out on its own, but toppings are an easy way to add some fun flavors and textures! Here are a few ideas for topping your dessert:

Fresh berries
Cocoa powder
Chocolate shavings
Nuts
Whipped cream
Banana slices
Pomegranate arils
Mint
Melted chocolate
Orange slices

🥣 Dishes for Baking Creme Brulee

Classic Creme Brulee Recipe | Wanderzest (4)

🍴 Storage

If the creme brulee has already been topped with caramelized sugar, it's best eaten fresh at this point. If it hasn't, be sure to top it with the sugar right before serving. Either way, the creme brulee can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Classic Creme Brulee Recipe | Wanderzest (8)

🌟 Top Tips

Temper the eggs. This means slowly pouring the hot custard into the eggs so you don't accidentally scramble the eggs.
Torch the sugar. Yes, creme brulee can be made with an oven broiler, but it tends to burn easier this way. The best way to caramelize the sugar topping is with a kitchen torch.
Bake in a water bath. It's an easy extra step that will make all of the difference in how your creme brulee turns out. The water bath prevents the temperature of the custard from increasing too rapidly so that you don't end up with curdled eggs in your custard.
Allow time to chill. It is essential to give the creme brulee time to chill, for at least two hours, before serving. This gives the custard time to set up, obtain the best creamy texture, and ensure a thick, crackling sugar crust.

💭 FAQs

Can you use whole milk instead of heavy cream for creme brulee?

You can use whole milk instead of heavy cream, but it will affect the texture and richness of the final dish.

Do you have to use ramekins for creme brulee?

If you don't have ramekins, you can use a wide ceramic or glass dish or Mason jars instead. If you opt for the larger pan size, you'll need to increase the baking time.

What can I use if I don't have a kitchen torch for creme brulee?

You can use your oven broiler to caramelize the sugar. Do not preheat the broiler. Broil the custards for 5 to 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them to make sure the sugar doesn't burn. You may want to rotate the custards frequently during the baking process to ensure they broil more evenly.

🍰 More Dessert Recipes

Rich Chocolate Eclairs
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Custard Mochi (Daif*cku)
Chocolate Tiramisu

If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! I’d love it if you could add a star rating ★ and a comment below. Be sure to follow me onInstagram,Pinterest, andFacebook, too!

📋 Recipe

Creme Brulee

Print Recipe

Ingredients

UnitsScale

3 cups heavy cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
additional sugar, for topping

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare six ramekins and a 9x13 pan (or whatever size will fit your ramekins) for baking the custard.
Add egg yolks to a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until pale in color.
In a saucepan, add cream, sugar, and salt. Whisk ingredients together. Cook the mixture over medium heat, until sugar is dissolved and the cream just begins to boil. Add in the vanilla.
Temper the egg yolks by pouring a small amount of the hot cream into the mixing bowl at a time. Whisk well after each addition of the cream. Continue adding the cream until it is fully incorporated into the egg yolks.
Evenly distribute the custard into the prepared ramekins. Set the filled ramekins into the prepared 9x13 pan. Fill the pan with boiling water until the ramekins are half submerged.
Bake the creme brulee for 35 to 45 minutes. Note that the custard will not be firm at this point.
Remove the ramekins from the oven, and place them in the refrigerator. Let cool for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Right before serving, sprinkle ½-3/4 tablespoons of sugar over the custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, torching it until the sugar has melted. You can also use your oven broiler if you don't have a food torch to bake the creme brulee for a few minutes or until the sugar has melted.
Serve creme brulee immediately with desired toppings.