Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

It was bound to happen sooner or later. If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that my favorite type of dessert is custards. And of all the custards out there, creme brulee is at the top for me. So today I present to you Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee. It is the smoothest and creamiest custard made with real pumpkin.

The first spoonful of this I put in my mouth, I realized that Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee is a perfect holiday dessert. You can definitely taste the cream, making your brain say, “Aha! That’s creme brulee!” But then the pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors start coming through and your brain says, “Aha! That’s pumpkin pie!” A super creamy and smooth pumpkin pie with a crunchy caramelized sugar topping. It’s just so good.

If you make no other pumpkin dessert this season, make this one. Creme brulee is really not as difficult to make as it seems. I hope you try this delicious holiday dessert soon!

 

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

 

6 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until combined.
3. Add pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
4. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to just a simmer. Immediately remove from the heat.
5. Very slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to ensure you don’t cook the eggs.
6. Strain the hot custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve in case any lumps have formed to ensure a smooth creme brulee.
7. Place 4 6-ounce ramekins in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Fill the baking dish with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
8. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the centers jiggle just slightly. (Think jello jiggles.)
9. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
10. Sprinkle a small amount of granulated sugar on top of each creme brulee.
11. Caramelize the sugar with a blow torch, moving it around constantly to get an even caramelization. If you don’t have a blow torch or a chef’s torch, you can use your broiler. Place each ramekin under the broiler and watch it carefully. As soon as it’s caramelized, remove from the oven.
12. Serve immediately after caramelizing the sugar on top.