Kahlua Creme Brulee

Make this Kahlua creme brulee for a special dinner party. It’s so easy and a great make-ahead dessert.

I used to think that anything as decadent, delicious, and French as creme brulee must be difficult to make. Then an old co-worker shared a recipe for Kahlua Creme Brulee with me and I realized how easy it actually is. She had made it the night before and brought a few ramekins to work to share. It was so good, and it’s been one of my go-to recipes ever since!

When we were in France many years ago my husband ordered creme brulee for dessert about 90% of the time. Making this dessert is a great way to remember our trip and share our experience with others. This recipe has a twist though. It’s made with Kahlua so it has that rich coffee flavor. You’ll notice I served this in my ideas to celebrate an anniversary post earlier.

You do need to make it the night before so it has time to chill and set up. You’ll also need the extra time if you use the oven broiler to crystallize the sugar topping.

Kahlua Creme Brulee

• 7 yolks from large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 cups whipping cream
• 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup Kahlua
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar {for topping}

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until slightly thickened and pale yellow.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and coffee over medium heat, until it reaches a boil and the coffee has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Slowly whisk cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Add in Kahlua and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Ladle evenly into 6 oven-proof ramekins (1/2 cup size) and set in a shallow baking dish.

Add boiling water to baking dish so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes or until tops are set, however the custards will remain jiggly until fully chilled.

Remove ramekins from water bath and let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill over night.

To add the sugar topping, preheat broiler and add a shallow layer of brown sugar to the top of each custard, making sure the sugar is lump-free and fluffy. Let the ramekins come to room temperature before putting into hot oven.

Heat 5-6 inches from broiler until sugar begins to caramelize. Keep an eye on it so the sugar does not burn.

Remove and let cool before chilling another 2 hours.

Garnish with mint leaves and raspberries, or chocolate covered coffee beans.

If you make creme brulee often it’s a good idea to invest in a small kitchen torch to melt the sugar topping, instead of using the broiler.

The caramelized sugar on top gets crunchy when it cools and adds this amazing texture to an otherwise smooth and creamy dessert. Using the broiler to achieve it can be tricky – you just have to stay close and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn… Totally worth it though!

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