This Vanilla Creme Brulee is super smooth, super creamy, incredibly delicious and the top…. look at the beaitiful thin layer of sugar on top. Cracking this is music to my ear. Every spoonful of this literally melts in your mouth. just like a creme brulee should be.

Creme Brulee always looks elegant no matter how you serve it, which sometimes make people hesitant to make ti at home. They look so beautiful and fragile you would think this ill require hrs and hrs of labor, but not really. This is quite easy to make at home so no reason to run away from it.

Creme Brulee is simpley a mixture of custard which is basically milk, egg and sugar plus optional flavoring like vanilla extract. If you’ve made flan or creme caramel, the idea is similar except the sugar on top of Creme Brulee is torched to help it crystalize. The thin layer of crystalize sugar is a trademark of Creme Brulee.

What to Expect from this Creme Brulee

• Super smooth
• Super creamy
• Subtle sweetness
• Delicious! 

This Creme Brûlée uses my basic Coconut Creme Brûlée recipe, only this was cooked in mason jar which I think is a nice idea to make it on the go and also for easier storage in the fridge. Creme Brûlée is a simple recipe, it uses only few ingredients but there are few key things that you have to pay attention to when making it. 

Tips for a Smooth and Creamy Creme Brulee

• Use the Proper Cream – That is, full fat cream. No non-dairy milk like Almond or Soy Milk. You need as much fat as possible to make it creamy, and you will not get that from non-dairy milk.
• Pure Egg Yolk only – Using only egg yolk gives a beautiful smooth custard, so do not be tempted to use whole egg. Although possible, I find that it will  not be as smooth and silky as using pure egg yolk only.
  
• Pass it Through a Sieve – Pass the mixture through the sieve, this guarantees a smooth texture as it removes possible lumps from the mixture.
• Water Bath Method – Water bath method assures even baking and a smoother creamy custard. The heat coming from the water plus the steam the water creates helps cook the custard evenly. 

Just imagine indulging into a smooth and luscious custard that is coated with perfectly crispy and caramelized top. Imagine breaking that top thin sugar layer while your spoon dive into the ultimately rich custard base, imagine fresh tangy berries balancing all the creaminess and sweetness of the custard. All that is what you will experience with this dessert. Well, I don’t want you to just sit there and imagine all this, so I am sharing with you my quick and simple Creme Brulee recipe so that you can make this a reality. Stop dreaming, you can make it happen! Let’s get started!

Big Batch Ingredients:

• 2 cups Heavy Cream ( I used whipping cream, do NOT use non-dairy milk)
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon Granulated White Sugar – (divided: 1/3 for cream mixture and 2 tbsp for top coating)
• 5 large Egg Yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Hot water for hot bath

Small Batch Ingredients:

• 1 cup Heavy Cream ( I used whipping cream, do not use non dairy milk)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoon Granulated White Sugar – (divided: 1/4 for milk mixture and 2 tbsp for top coating)
• 3 Large Egg Yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Hot water for hot bath

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven into 350F.
2. Cream: Pour cream into a medium saucepan. Heat mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until you see small bubbles forming in the side of the pan. Remove from heat while you prepare the egg yolk mixture. Do not leave the cream simmering for a long time without stirring it as this could create a thin layer of “film” on top. Aim for warm cream but not hot and boiling.
3. Egg Yolk: In a mixing bowl, whisk together cup granulated white sugar and egg yolks until mixture becomes slightly pale and smooth.
4. Cream + Egg Yolk: Slowly pour cream mixture into egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking. Do not pour the mixture one time or you might end up cooking the egg yolk like scrambled egg. Pass through the strainer to remove any lumps then transfer into a measuring cup then pour on desired dish. I used ramekins for this. You can also use mini mason jars.
5. Ramekins: Place ramekins into baking pans. Divide cream mixture among ramekins (about 4 – 3.75 x 1 inch ramekins or about 2 – 3 x 2 inch ramekins), filling each nearly full. Pour hot water into pan (being careful not to get any in ramekins) and fill water level to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Please note that the bigger and taller the baking dish, the longer you need to steam it. Adjust baking time as needed. (Based on small batch measurement. If you are making a big batch, you will need about twice the number of ramekins).
6. Bake in preheated oven 45 – 50 minutes, until set but centers still jiggle slightly (bake time will vary based on which size ramekins used, lesser for smaller, greater for larger).
7. Cool at room temperature 30 minutes then transfer to refrigerator to chill 3 hours.
8. Remove from refrigerator and let rest 20 minutes, then sprinkle tops evenly with remaining sugar. Holding a hand-held kitchen torch, about 4-inches from sugar, evenly brown sugar. Remove the flame just before desired shade is reached. Return to refrigerator and chill 20 minutes.
   • If you do not have blow torch, you can use the broil setting of the oven. Be careful and do not leave unattended. Remove as soon as the sugar browns.

Makes 4 servings (ramekins size: 3.75 x 1 inch); 2 servings (ramekins size: 3 x 2 inch)

Recipe Notes:

• If you do not have torch, you can use the broil setting in your oven. Just pay close attention, do NOT leave it as it could get burn easily. Place the ramekins in the oven on highest rack and turn on the broiler to medium. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, watching very carefully and rotating them frequently so that they broil evenly.
• The caramelized sugar will start to melt after few days of storing it in the fridge. This is way it is best to caramelized the sugar few hour before you serve it.

Coconut Creme Brulee

Once you tried the Vanilla Creme Brulee, you might want to explore this Coconut Creme Brulee variation. I used the Vanilla Creme Brulee as inspiration to make this variation. In my variation, I simmered shredded coconut with the cream to infuse the cream with coconut flavor. When I have time, I soak the shredded coconut in the cream and leave it overnight in the fridge. I have not tried using coconut cream to make this, but that could also be a possible option for a stronger coconut flavor. This Coconut Creme Brulee is as good as the Vanilla counter part, but with a hint of coconut flavor. If you want a stronger coconut flavor, you can use coconut flavoring if you can find one.

Creme Brulee To Go!

Because I love creme brulee so much, I made a version of this in mini mason jars. They are the same Vanilla Creme Brulee but in mini mason jars. This is perfect for to go for picnics of if you just want to sneak-out creme brulee in your bag, because why not? 🙂 There’s no more excuse why we cannot enjoy this on the Check the recipe HERE

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