Quick & Dreamy Coffee Crème Brûlée Recipe

Rich coffee crème brûlée crafts ordinary dessert moments into extraordinary culinary experiences.

Sweet custards carry deep, complex flavor profiles that dance across taste buds with elegant sophistication.

Decadent textures merge smooth cream with intense coffee undertones, creating a sensory journey unlike traditional desserts.

Passionate home bakers can craft this luxurious treat using surprisingly simple techniques and minimal ingredients.

Professional restaurants often showcase such elegant desserts as signature menu items that impress discerning diners.

Elegant yet approachable, this dessert bridges sophisticated French culinary traditions with contemporary home cooking sensibilities.

Professional and amateur chefs alike celebrate this dessert’s ability to elevate dining experiences with minimal effort.

Why Coffee Crème Brûlée Is a Dessert Worth Making

• Savor Rich Coffee-Infused Decadence: This dessert combines the luxurious creaminess of traditional crème brûlée with a bold espresso twist, delivering an intense coffee flavor that coffee lovers will absolutely adore.
• Enjoy Textural Symphony: Experience the ultimate contrast between the silky-smooth custard base and the crisp, crackling caramelized sugar top, creating a delightful sensory experience with every single spoonful.
• Master Impressive Technique: The recipe teaches an elegant dessert technique that looks professionally crafted but is surprisingly simple to execute, allowing home cooks to create a restaurant-quality dessert with minimal culinary expertise.
• Prepare Make-Ahead Magic: With the ability to refrigerate the custards for up to two days before caramelizing, this dessert offers stress-free entertaining and convenient preparation for special occasions or dinner parties.

Ingredients Needed for Coffee Crème Brûlée

Main Ingredients:

• Heavy Cream: Rich base for creamy custard texture, choose high-fat content for best results.
• Egg Yolks: Provides luxurious smoothness and helps set the custard, use fresh room-temperature eggs.

• Instant Espresso Powder: Delivers intense coffee flavor, select high-quality brand for robust taste.
• Kahlua: Enhances coffee profile with smooth liqueur depth, optional substitution with coffee liqueur.

• Granulated Sugar, Turbinado Sugar: Essential for custard sweetness and caramelized topping, select pure cane sugar.
• Kosher Salt: Balances and elevates overall flavor profile, use fine-grain variety.

• Kitchen Torch: Crucial for creating signature caramelized sugar crust, ensures professional finishing touch.
• Ramekins: Provides individual serving presentation, choose ceramic or heat-resistant porcelain.
• Fine Mesh Sieve: Ensures smooth, silky custard texture by removing potential egg membrane.

How to Make Silky Coffee Crème Brûlée

Step 1: Prepare the Workspace

• 4 ramekins
• 9×9 baking pan
• Large kettle for boiling water
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Fine mesh sieve

Step 2: Create Cream Base

• Heavy cream
• Sugar
• Kosher salt

Stir occasionally until sugar completely dissolves and mixture is smooth.

Step 3: Temper the Egg Mixture

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks carefully. Slowly pour warm cream mixture into eggs, whisking continuously to prevent scrambling.

Step 4: Infuse Espresso Flavor

• Instant espresso powder
• Kahlua

Stir into cream mixture. Strain custard through fine mesh sieve into a pouring container.

Step 5: Set Up Water Bath

Pour custard evenly into ramekins. Fill baking dish with hot water halfway up ramekin sides.

Step 6: Bake the Custards

Carefully transfer baking pan to oven. Bake 25-35 minutes until custards are slightly jiggly in center.

Step 7: Cool and Chill

Remove ramekins from water bath. Cool on wire rack for 4 hours. Refrigerate covered for minimum 2 hours.

Step 8: Caramelize Sugar Topping

Sprinkle sugar over each custard. Use kitchen torch to create golden-brown caramel crust. Serve immediately.

Smart Tips for Flawless Coffee Crème Brûlée

• Temper Eggs Carefully: Pour warm cream slowly into egg yolks while whisking continuously to prevent scrambling and ensure a smooth, silky texture.
• Control Water Bath Temperature: Use hot water that reaches halfway up ramekins to create gentle, even baking and prevent cracking in the custard.
• Check Custard Doneness: Gently shake ramekins to verify a slight jiggle in the center, indicating perfectly set crème brûlée without overcooking.
• Chill Thoroughly: Allow custards to cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to develop rich, deep flavor and ideal creamy consistency.
• Caramelize Sugar Precisely: Use a kitchen torch with steady motion to create an even, golden-brown sugar crust without burning, ensuring a crisp caramel top.

Storing and Reheating Coffee Crème Brûlée

• Refrigerate: Seal the ramekins with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep the caramelized sugar topping intact to maintain its crisp texture.
• Protect: Place the covered ramekins in the back of the refrigerator, away from strong-smelling foods to preserve the delicate coffee flavor.
• Recrisp: Before serving, reapply a fresh layer of sugar and torch it to restore the signature crackable caramel crust. Avoid reheating the entire custard, as it may compromise the silky texture.

Best Pairings for Coffee Crème Brûlée

• Pair with Bold Bourbon: Match the coffee crème brûlée with a smooth, caramel-noted bourbon like Woodford Reserve, which complements the dessert's rich espresso undertones and creamy texture.
• Serve with Almond Biscotti: Crisp almond biscotti provide a delightful crunch and nutty contrast, enhancing the coffee flavor while offering a traditional Italian dessert companion.
• Create a Dark Chocolate Side: Add a small piece of high-quality dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content, which will intensify the espresso notes and add depth to the dessert's complex flavor profile.
• Recommend Vanilla Gelato: A small scoop of classic vanilla gelato creates a cool, smooth counterpoint to the warm caramelized sugar topping, balancing the dessert's temperature and texture.

Variations on Classic Coffee Crème Brûlée

• Mocha Magic: Enhance the coffee flavor by adding dark chocolate shavings to the custard mixture, creating a rich, intense mocha experience.
• Rum Raisin Remix: Soak raisins in dark rum before folding them into the custard, adding a boozy, sweet dimension to the classic dessert.
• Cinnamon Spice Swirl: Infuse the cream with a cinnamon stick during heating, then remove before mixing, introducing a warm, aromatic undertone to the crème brûlée.
• Hazelnut Heaven: Replace Kahlua with hazelnut liqueur and sprinkle chopped toasted hazelnuts on top for a nutty, decadent twist.

Coffee Crme Brle Recipe

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• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

Classic French dessert coffee crème brûlée brings elegant simplicity to sophisticated palates. Rich espresso-infused custard with caramelized sugar topping promises silky indulgence you cannot resist.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main Ingredients:

• 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar (for topping)

Coffee Flavoring:

• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon Kahlua (coffee liqueur)

Seasoning:

• 1 pinch kosher salt
• Hot water (for water bath)

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Instructions

1. Arrange ramekins inside a 9×9 baking pan and heat oven to 300°F (150°C), positioning the rack centrally. Simultaneously, bring a large kettle of water to a boil.
2. Gently heat heavy cream with sugar and salt in a saucepan, stirring periodically until sugar completely dissolves and mixture becomes smooth.
3. Vigorously whisk egg yolks in a mixing bowl, then gradually introduce the warm cream mixture while continuously whisking to prevent egg curdling.
4. Dissolve instant espresso powder in Kahlua, creating a rich coffee essence. Integrate this into the cream mixture, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to ensure silky smoothness.
5. Distribute the custard evenly across ramekins, then carefully pour hot water into the baking pan until it reaches midway up the ramekin sides.
6. Transfer the water bath to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, monitoring until custards set with a delicate center wobble when gently nudged.
7. Extract ramekins from the water bath and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack for approximately 4 hours.
8. Refrigerate covered for a minimum of 2 hours, ensuring maximum flavor development and proper chilling.
9. Before serving, generously dust each custard with sugar, tilting to create an even layer. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until it transforms into a crisp, golden-brown crust.
10. Serve immediately to preserve the contrast between the crackling caramel and creamy custard beneath.

Notes

• Precise water bath technique ensures gentle, even cooking for silky smooth custard texture.
• Tempering eggs slowly prevents scrambling, creating a luxurious, creamy coffee-infused dessert.
• Instant espresso and Kahlua boost deep, rich coffee flavor throughout the entire dessert.
• Extended chilling time (minimum 2 hours) allows custard to set perfectly and develop intense flavor profile.
• Kitchen torch caramelization creates a signature crisp sugar crust that cracks beautifully when tapped.
• Use fresh, high-quality ingredients for maximum flavor complexity in this elegant dessert.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Desserts, Drinks
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: French

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 385
• Sugar: 22g
• Sodium: 100mg
• Fat: 34g
• Saturated Fat: 21g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 26g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 6g
• Cholesterol: 210mg