This Coffee Crème Brûlée is a silky smooth espresso flavored custard with the iconic crunchy caramelized sugar top. Decadence at its finest.
There is something sensually extravagant about a creme brulee, which literally means burnt cream in French. However, it is deceptively easy to prepare and in fact, only takes about 25 minutes at most including prep and cooking time. How amazing is that?
Besides, it makes for an excellent treat when you’re entertaining guests for dinner as these dainty custard pots can be made a day ahead of time. In fact, I would highly recommended that you make these coffee creme brulees ahead of time. The custard once out of the oven, needs a good 4 hour period to set in the refrigerator. If you try to rush this process, the espresso infused custard won’t set and when you try to add the layer of caster sugar to torch it, it’ll all get messy. 
The ideal creme brulee has a distinct layer of hardened caramelised sugar. The hard cracking sound is it’s signature identity. Beneath this crunchy caramelised sugar lies absolute decadence. The silky smooth custard, which is just set is smooth and melts in your mouth sending sensations that transport you to a different universe – foodgasm at its best!
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Decadent Coffee Crème Brûlée
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This Coffee Crème Brûlée is a silky smooth espresso flavored custard with the iconic crunchy caramelized sugar top. Decadence at its finest.
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split ((or 2 tsp vanilla paste))
- 2 tsp espresso powder ((or one shot of espresso))
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (divided into two bowls)
- 6 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Cut your vanilla beans open in half lengthwise then use the non-sharp side of a knife to scrape out the vanilla beans. If using vanilla bean paste skip this step.
- In a thick-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat cook the heavy cream, vanilla beans or paste, espresso powder, and 50 grams (¼ cup) of the sugar. Stirring constantly, cook until mixture comes to a boil. Then take off heat and place lid on and let steep for 10 minutes.
- In a large roasting pan place 4-6 (6-8oz) ramekins inside. Put the kettle on to boil water, aand preheat the oven to 325F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large bowl with a whisk. Beat the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and egg yolks until fully combined and much lighter in color, a pale yellow.
- Remove vanilla bean pods from the cream mixture and slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture with the whisk attachment on at the lowest speed. Take your time doing this so the eggs do not curdle. Once completely mixed, pour the mixture through a sieve to prevent any lumps. Then evenly pour into ramekins. Pour boiling water from the kettle in the roasting pan, pour enough to come up halfway of the ramekins – being careful not to spill.
- Bake for 25-40 minutes*, you want the center of the creme brulee's to be set but a little bit jiggle. When ready take out of the oven and place the roasting pan on a wire rack. After five minutes remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Wrap ramekins in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to chill before serving.
- When ready to serve sprinkle 1.5 tablespoons of sugar on top of each creme brulee swirling the ramekin so the sugar is spread evenly and using a kitchen torch, torch the top of the creme brulee until the sugar has caramelized and hardened. Serve immediately with berries if desired.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: French, French-Inspired
