I don’t have a kitchen torch. Can I still make this?

Absolutely! Use your oven’s broiler. Place your maple crème brûlée on a baking sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes until caramelized. Keep a close eye to prevent them from burning.

Why does my custard have bubbles on top?

It’s normal to have bubbles. You can skim them off or pop them with your kitchen torch before baking for a perfectly smooth top.

Why won’t my sugar caramelize properly?

Make sure the custard surface is dry (you can gently pat it with a paper towel) and use granulated sugar. For even caramelization, you’ll want to move the torch in small circles.

Maple Crème Brûlée (5 Ingredients)

Description

This Maple Crème Brûlée combined a creamy, rich-flavored custard with a caramelized topping for an impressive dessert that's surprisingly easy to make. It only requires 15 minutes of prep time and 5 simple ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale

480 g (2 cups) heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
110 g (1/3 cup) maple syrup
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for topping
Boiling water

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C.
Place 6 ramekins in a deep metal baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it simmers, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, maple syrup, and sugar.
Carefully ladle about half of the cream mixture into the egg mixture while constantly whisking to prevent the eggs from cooking. Pour in the egg mixture into the remaining hot cream mixture and whisk together.
Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher or a 4-cup measuring cup. Divide the custard evenly between the ramekins. Fill the metal pan with boiling water about halfway up the sides of your baking dishes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges of the custard are set and the centers are barely set (slightly jiggly).
Transfer the baking containers to a wire rack and let them cool to room temperature. Refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
To serve, remove from the fridge and sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of granulated sugar. Shake off any excess sugar. Carefully caramelize sugar with a kitchen torch.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can prepare the custard mixture up to 1 day before baking. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover it tightly, and refrigerate. You can also bake the custard up to 3 days in advance. Add the sugar and caramelize just before serving.

Heavy Cream: For a lighter texture, you can substitute 2 cups half-and-half for the heavy cream.

Vanilla: You can substitute the pure vanilla extract with the scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean. For added flavor, add the scraped vanilla bean pod to the heavy cream and remove once the mixture comes to a simmer.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Custard