Basic ingredients, quick prep time and a sophisticated flavor twist make our caramel creme brulee the best dessert for elevated parties.
If creme brulee is fancy, then caramel creme brulee is downright luxurious. With all the velvety creaminess of classic creme brulee, its deeply toasted caramel flavors elevate the already gourmet dessert. This recipe has a secret, though: It calls for caramel extract instead of finicky homemade caramel, giving the custard all of the taste without any of the tricky techniques.
This recipe makes one large creme brulee instead of a bunch of mini ones. It’s more convenient to transport to parties (the perfect New Year’s Eve dessert—fancy and feeds a crowd!), plus it’s easier to pour the custard base into one pan than dividing it equally between ramekins. Want to really impress everyone? Brulee the sugar with a kitchen torch in front of (and away from) guests. Now it’s dessert and a show!
Ingredients for Caramel Creme Brulee
- Heavy whipping cream and half-and-half: These two creams work with the egg yolks to create a rich, velvety custard base.
- Egg yolks: Yes, it’s a lot of egg yolks, but egg yolks are the catalyst for the jiggly custard texture. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and save them for your favorite egg white recipes.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar plays two roles in this recipe. It sweetens the custard and, with the brown sugar, creates the hard sugar topping.
- Caramel extract: Caramel extract is our secret hack to getting the deep, toasted taste of caramel without having to stand over the stove for 30 minutes making a tricky caramel from scratch.
- Brown sugar: We use a majority of brown sugar for the hard sugar topping. Since it’s already brown in color, you don’t have to brulee it so hard that it runs the risk of burning, as you would with granulated sugar.
Directions
Step 1: Create the custard base
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream and half-and-half cream until bubbles form around the side of the pan. Promptly remove the saucepan from the heat so the creams don’t boil over.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 cup of granulated sugar, the caramel extract and salt until they’re blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in the hot cream mixture.
Editor’s Tip: I like to run my custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve to ensure there aren’t any little pieces of scrambled eggs.
Step 2: Bake it in a hot water bath
Place an ungreased, broiler-safe 13×9-inch baking dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it without touching the sides.
Pour the custard mixture into the 13×9-inch dish. Place the large pan, with the 13×9-inch baking dish inside of it, on an oven rack. Pour very hot water into the larger baking pan to within 1 inch of the top of the 13×9-inch baking dish.
Bake the custard until the center is just set and the top appears dull, 40 to 50 minutes. Immediately remove the 13×9-inch baking dish from the water bath and transfer it to a wire rack to cool at room temperature for one hour. Cover the pan tightly with storage wrap and refrigerate it until the custard is nice and cold.
Step 3: Brulee the sugar
Option 1: Brulee it with a kitchen torch
In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. To caramelize the topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly all over the top of the custard. Hold the kitchen torch flame about 2 inches above the custard’s surface, and rotate it slowly until the sugar is evenly caramelized.
Serve the caramel creme brulee immediately or refrigerate it for a maximum of 1 hour.
Option 2: Brulee it under the broiler
n a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. To caramelize the topping under a broiler, let the custard stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the broiler to high. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly all over the top of the custard. Slide the baking dish into the oven and broil the top 3 to 4 inches away from heat until the sugar is caramelized, two to three minutes.
Step 4: Serve the caramel creme brulee
Serve the caramel creme brulee immediately or refrigerate it for a maximum of 1 hour.
Editor’s Tip: You must let the custard sit for 30 minutes at room temperature to take some of the chill off the pan. Otherwise, the intense heat hitting the cold pan will cause the pan to crack or shatter.
Recipe Variations
- Finish it with flaky salt: Caramel creme brulee is pretty sweet. Take a leaf out of salted caramel’s book and add flaky salt to break up some of that sweetness and help bring out the deep caramel and custard flavors. Sprinkle Maldon finishing salt on top just before serving it.
- Add more caramel flavor: Just before serving the caramel creme brulee, and after bruleeing, drizzle the top with store-bought or homemade salted caramel sauce.
- Bake it in individual ramekins: Instead of one large creme brulee, divide the custard base between eight 6-ounce ramekins and bake them in a water bath for 25 to 30 minutes.
How to Store Caramel Creme Brulee
Store leftover caramel creme brulee tightly covered in the fridge. It can last up to two more days, but just know that the custard will lose its integrity and the sugar topping will soften and weep. It’ll still be tasty, though!
Can you make caramel creme brulee ahead of time?
Yes, you can make caramel creme brulee the night before serving, so long as you wait to brulee the sugar until the last minute. Once the custard is baked and cooled completely to room temperature, cover it tightly with storage wrap and chill it in the fridge. I wouldn’t recommend making caramel creme brulee more than 24 hours in advance.
Caramel Creme Brulee Tips
How do you know when caramel creme brulee is ready?
The caramel creme brulee is done baking when the custard has set all the way across with one uniform bounce. Test by gently moving the pan. The custard should shake like Jell-O, not ripple like a wave. If it seems like the top is set but there’s still runny liquid underneath, keep baking. Be careful not to overbake it, though, or the custard will crack.
Can you use real caramel instead of extract?
Our caramel creme brulee recipe uses caramel extract for ease. I don’t recommend mixing caramel sauce into the custard as it might throw off the measurements. You can drizzle each serving with a bit of caramel sauce, though!
Do you have to use the hot water bath?
Yes, you must use a hot water bath for caramel creme brulee. Like a cheesecake water bath, it’s essential for cooking the custard evenly and gently so it doesn’t break and crack. As it bakes, the hot water creates a steamy environment in the oven, which keeps the custard moist as it cooks. Don’t skip this step, or your caramel creme brulee will turn out broken and a little dry.
Ingredients
- 4-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
- 15 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
- 3 teaspoons caramel extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°. In a large saucepan, heat whipping cream and half-and-half cream until bubbles form around side of pan; remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, extract and salt until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot cream mixture.
- Place an ungreased broiler-safe 13x9-in. baking dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it without touching the sides. Pour egg mixture into dish. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1 in. of top of dish. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 40-50 minutes. Immediately remove dish from water bath to a wire rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold.
- Mix brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup sugar. To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Hold torch flame about 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.
- To caramelize topping using a broiler, let custard stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Broil 3-4 in. from heat until sugar is caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.
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This recipe comes out perfect every time and it's always a crowd-pleaser! A torch works best to get the sugar caramelized while keeping the rest of the custard cool. You may want to use more sugar to create a thicker, more even crust on top. —Jenna Fleming, Lowville, New York
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