Easy Creme Brulee

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If you really want to impress when it comes to dessert making this is a great choice. Our Easy Creme Brulee recipe looks and tastes spectacular! Complete with a beautiful crispy sugar disc on top, it’s a showstopper dessert by anyone’s standards. You’ll be an absolute hero to your friends and family when you serve these bad boys up for dessert. No-one will ever need to know how simple it was to make either!

Crème Brulee is a classic French Dessert

For those who aren’t familiar with Crème Brulee, you’re in for a treat with this recipe. It is a very traditional French Dessert that is as popular now as it was 30 years ago. The translation of Crème Brulee is literally Burned Cream! While that may sound unappetizing, it is so far from it

The dish consists of a beautifully smooth Cream-like Custard made of Eggs, Cream, Sugar, and typically Vanilla. It is then placed in a Ramekin which is baked in the oven in a water bath, which gives the mixture it’s body. It’s then cooled down in the refrigerator which forms its amazing texture

Finally, the ‘Brulee’ part involves sprinkling over a generous amount of Sugar on the top, then burning it to a caramel-like toffee. This Toffee can then be broken into with the back of a spoon, revealing the phenomenal Creamy Custard inside

The theatrics of smashing the Toffee along with the unbelievable taste of the Custard makes the Crème Brulee a favorite at French Restaurants all around the world. While the Cream is typically flavored with Vanilla, you can add other flavors to create a unique taste. A common addition to the Cream is liquor, such as Whiskey, Cognac, or Brandy. This recipe is to create a simple, Easy Creme Brulee so we’re sticking with the classic flavor of Vanilla

Only 4 ingredients are required to make this Easy Creme Brulee Recipe

Like so many Classic Desserts, simplicity is key. You only need four ingredients to make the most delicious Crème Brulee. Those are Egg Yolks, Sugar, Heavy Cream, and Vanilla Extract. Those ingredients really are the cornerstone to classic French desserts, with countless amazing recipes coming from just these few ingredients

Vanilla Extract really is the standout ingredient in this recipe and gives the Crème Brulee it’s unique flavor. It is such a strong ingredient, so use it sparingly as to not completely overpower the dish. 2 tsp. is just the right amount to achieve that beautiful Vanilla Cream flavor to the dish without overpowering it completely

Whenever there is the process of mixing Eggs with hot ingredients (such as Hollandaise Sauce or in this case, Cream) there is always the risk that the Eggs will scramble, and the dish will be ruined. The good news is, with some basic technique this will never happen when making this recipe

Follow the simple instructions and you’ve got a perfect Crème Brulee Custard every time. Which is why we think this is hands down the best easy Crème Brulee Recipe you’ll find! We guarantee it

The trick is to continuously whisk the ingredients as you’re slowly mixing them together

You don’t want to overwhelm the Egg Yolks with a load of heat immediately. If you dump a bunch of hot Cream on them in one go, the Eggs will cook, and you won’t achieve that silky smooth, velvety custard result

The trick is to pour the Cream very slowly into the Eggs and Sugar mixture and whisk constantly as you’re doing so. By giving the Eggs a little bit of Cream at a time allows them to adjust to the heat, and instead of cooking they will emulsify into the Cream. Thus, making a beautiful Custard for your Crème Brulee

You don’t need to aggressively whisk them either. Just a constant whisk to keep the Eggs and Cream moving about to help them incorporate. It’s a straightforward technique but critical that it is followed

Cook the Creme Brulee in a water bath in the Oven to ensure an even cook throughout

You need to bake Crème Brulee quite delicately to ensure they do not overcook. If the Eggs overcook they will scramble, which will not achieve that beautiful silky-smooth texture that we want from a Crème Brulee. There are two tricks to perfecting the bake of a Crème Brulee

1. Bake at a low temperature. We’ve opted for 320F / 160C. The lower temperatures allow the mixture to cook slowly, evenly, and form a beautiful texture without scrambling
2. Place the Crème Brulee Ramekins in a Water Bath. Adding Water into the Oven creates steam, which in turn keeps the Crème Brulee from drying out. It also helps with the cooking process. The hot water surrounds the Ramekins, ensuring they are cooked through in the middle
   
   

Easy Creme Brulee Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 Egg Yolks
• 400g Heavy Cream
• ½ cup White Sugar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  
  

Equipment needed: Stand Mixer and Kitchen Torch

Instructions

1. Add the Egg Yolks and 1/3 cup of White Sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well until thoroughly combined in the stand mixer until the mixture is fully incorporated and has begun to lighten in color. Should take about 2 minutes on medium in the Stand Mixer
2. Pour the Heavy Cream into a medium Saucepan and place on the stovetop over medium heat. Once the Cream begins to simmer, remove from the heat and whisk in the Vanilla Extract
3. Slowly pour the Heavy Cream into the Egg and Sugar mixture while whisking continuously. Once the Cream has been added, continue to whisk for about 20 seconds
4. Place your individual Ramekins into a baking pan with high sides. Pour the mixture evenly into the Ramekins. The quantity in this recipe should create 3-4 Crème Brulees depending on the size of your Ramekins
5. Pour boiling water into the Pan, enough that the water level reaches half the height of the Ramekins, then place in the Oven pre-heated to 320F
6. Cook for 35 – 40 minutes until the top has just started to turn light brown. You can test if the Crème Brulees are cooked by shaking the pan. If they jiggle like a similar consistency to Jelly, then are cooked
7. Remove Crème Brulees carefully from the Pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 3 hours before preparing to serve
8. Sprinkle the remaining Sugar over the Crème Brulee, then use a kitchen torch to char the sugar until it has turned into a thin layer of Toffee. Serve with garnishes such as mixed berries and Mint leaves
   
   

Recipe Notes

If you do not have a kitchen torch you can place the Creme Brulee under the Broiler to achieve the crispy, sugary coating. The Broiler will likely heat the rest of the Crème Brulee however, so once you’ve got that lovely crispy top it’s recommended you place them back in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes before serving

If you’ve enjoyed our Easy Creme Brulee recipe, we’ve got more yummy desserts!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this Easy Creme Brulee Recipe. We’ve got plenty more awesome dessert recipes for you here. Here are a few of our favorite Desserts to make for those with a sweet tooth!

• No Egg Chocolate Mousse
• Dreamy Dark Chocolate Cake
• The Best Brownies Ever
• Homemade Lofthouse Cookies
  
  

Happy Cooking!