Crème Brûlée Recipe

5 from 3 votes

With a creamy custard and crispy caramelized sugar topping, this crème brûlée recipe is incredibly easy to make and so satisfying!

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Refrigeration Time 12

Total Time 12 50

Servings people

Calories 545kcal

Author Heather Dessinger

⅔ cup maple syrup
10 large pastured egg yolks
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup coconut milk (or whole milk)
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp organic brown sugar (or more, to taste - Sucanat may be substituted, see Recipe Tips & Notes above for more info)

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Place ramekins inside two large baking dishes or roasting pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, vanilla, egg yolks, maple syrup and salt until everything is well-combined.
Transfer the cream mixture into the five ramekins, dividing equally.
Create a water bath by pouring hot water into your baking dishes until the water is halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Place the baking dishes in the oven and bake the custards until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly, about 35-40 minutes.
Carefully remove the custards from the water and allow them to cool to room room temperature. To remove them, I usually put an oven mitt on one hand and grab a spatula with the other, then I slide the spatula under a ramekin while holding it in place with the oven mitt before lifting it out.
Allow the custards to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate them overnight.

To create the caramelized topping using a kitchen blow torch: Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoon sugar over each creme brulee, or more if desired.
Turn the torch on and hold it about an inch above the sugar, moving it over the surface until all the sugar is melted.

To create the caramelized sugar topping using an oven: Preheat your broiler, then move your oven rack up so that it is pretty close to the heating elements.
P_lace the custards in a roasting pan, then pour enough ice water into the pans to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard.
Broil until the sugar melts, rotating the pan several times for even browning while watching closely so the sugar doesn’t burn.