This post was updated on June 28, 2014 to include updated images and a recipe video.
Okay. It's finally here. The moment you have all been waiting for.
Easy Creme Brulee. Hooray!
I am finally posting my creme brulee recipe. Wow, that took a while, didn't it?
As I sit here writing this post, I'm having an internal debate with myself over which dessert I prefer more: creme brulee or cheesecake? At first, I would have totally thought cheesecake would beat out crème brûlée. (And, yes, this is totally a legitimate debate to have in one's head).
But...then I remember just how good creme brulee is.
Hard decision, right?
Hmmm...anyone else thinking creme brulee cheesecake? Yup -- that's how my mind works. Heehee.
Which dessert is your favorite? Is there a tie between the two? Does it even include either?
Well, this easy creme brulee recipe is not a hard decision at all. You won't even believe how easy it is.
No heating up the custard and slowly tempering the egg yolks, here. No crazy double boiler action needed. No need for a blow torch. No fuss.
Just sweet custardy goodness with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. Mmm.
Just mix, pour, bake and broil (or torch, if you happen to prefer that method).
Watch my video to see how easy these little guys are to make:
See? So. Easy.
Easy Crème Brûlée
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus more to sprinkle for topping
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: fresh berries or mint for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add cream and vanilla and gently stir to combine, taking care not to mix quickly so as not to introduce extra bubbles. Place un-filled ramekins in a baking or casserole dish and fill baking dish with hot water until about half-way up sides of ramekins. Pour egg mixture into ramekins.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking every 10 minutes after 35-40 minutes. When done, a knife inserted into the center of the egg mixture should come out mostly clean.
- Remove from baking dish (I use a spatula) and lay onto clean dish towel to dry, set and cool. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Set oven to low broiler setting.
- Sprinkle a thin, even layer of granulated sugar over the top of the cooked custard. Completely, but lightly, cover the custard with the sugar. Place the ramekins back into the baking dish and surround by ice and cold water until the water almost reaches halfway up the sides (don't fill too high with water, as the ice will melt and add to the volume of water).
- Place baking dish with ramekins under broiler (or use crème brûlée torch, if you'd prefer) for 3-5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and creates a golden brown, caramelized crust.
- Garnish with berries and/or some fresh mint leaves.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links for the kitchen item(s) I use 🙂
Judy
Crew brûlée could not be easier with this recipe! So easy & so delicious. Made these with black berries & red raspberries in the bottom for Christmas dinner! Recipe is a keeper!
Natalia
Made this recipe and it was a hit! I’ve made creme brûlée the traditional way with heating the cream, but this batch was way easier and actually turned out way better. Thank you!
Rose Fournier
Easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I made them in Madirea wine glasses and instead of a bain marie dry baked at 210 degeees Fahrenheit.
Sally
Very good ! So easy to make and everyone loved it. I will be making this recipe instead of the more lengthy involved ones. Thank you.
Janet Konover
Not only was this recipedelicious It was so easy to make I think I will make it often from now on
Yaoshan
I have half pint canning bottles (might be deeper) , thinking just do the clustered served cold like a pudding, will that work? What’s the max depth I should keep?
Samentha Tiller
First time I ever tried think it looks about right we will find out soon.
Tracy
So tried this last night and it was really good. But I have some questions. Are most ramekins like corning ware or pyrex and can handle the temp extremes? I was concerned about put the ramekins in the ice water and then in oven to broil the sugar topping. I used my new torch I rec'd for Christmas to do 2 of them. I still need to top the other two. Can I take them out of fridge, put them in the baking dish with cold water and then put them in to broil without fear of breakage? They are cordon bleu ramekins - well that's the brand at least. Thanks for you help. Only problem is it's all gone too quickly 🙂