This Spiced Creme Brulee is perfectly spiced for Christmas with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s reminiscent of the Creme Brulee you’ll find in the Alsace region of France.
This recipe serves eight and costs about $7.04 to make. That breaks down to just $0.88 per serving!
Serving Creme Brulee after enjoying Ham with Cherry Ham Glaze, Cranberry Fluff Salad, and these Skillet Green Beans for a magical Christmas dinner.
Alsace Creme Brulee
Last December, for our yearly European Christmas Markets Trip, I took my kids to France and Switzerland. We spent most of our time in the Alsace region of France.
This region is right on the border of Germany, and there are a lot of German influences throughout the city. Our favorites were spiced and gingerbread-infused foods, namely Alsace Creme Brulee.
We have a family rule when we’re in France, which is anytime Creme Brulee is on the menu, we must order it! We quickly fell in love with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove-infused dessert in Alsace.
So much that as soon as we got back from France, we started developing our recipe for our new favorite Christmas-time dessert! Today I’m happy to say that I’m ready to share that recipe with you!
Spiced Creme Brulee
This Creme Brulee recipe is an elegant dessert with a holiday twist. The custard is infused with cinnamon and nutmeg, making it the perfect Christmas-time dessert. It is kind of like Christmas in a bowl!
I often find myself ordering Creme Brulee anytime I see it on a menu. It can be a little pricey, but making it at home costs less than $1.00 per serving!
This perfectly spiced Creme Brulee has a creamy and rich custard with a crunchy, caramelized sugar coating that is sure to wow your guests.
If you are feeling intimidated by recreating your favorite restaurant-quality dessert, I am here to help. Follow along as I show you step-by-step how to make Creme Brulee!
What sugar is best for creme brulee?
Use Turbinado or Demerara sugar. I find they make for the best caramalized sugar. In a pinch, you can use granulated sugar.
What should creme brulee look like out of the oven?
Bake the dessert in the oven until the custard is set but not sloshy. It will giggle slightly in the center.
Is Crema Catalana the same as creme brulee?
There are two critical differences between the two desserts. The first being that creme brulee is made with heavy cream, and Crema Catalana is made using milk. Crema Catalana is also made with cornflour.
How much will this recipe cost to make:
RECIPE COST: $7.04
PER SERVING COST: $0.88
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
- 4 cups heavy cream – $4.68
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar – $0.14
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract – $0.62
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon – $0.01
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg – $0.10
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves – $0.11
- 12 large egg yolks – $1.20
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar – $0.18
More dessert recipes for entertaining:
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Boston Cream Pie
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Frog Eye Salad
- Black Forest Cake
- Peppermint Bark Sugar Cookie Pie
- Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip
- Peppermint Cheesecake Dip
- Deep Dish Apple Pie
- Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Loaded Peppermint Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Brownies
Alsace Creme Brulee
Equipment
- Roasting pan OR rimmed baking sheet
- Ramekins (4-5 ounces each)
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- 2-quart measuring cup OR medium bowl
- wire rack
- Instant-read thermometer
- Culinary torch
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream chilled
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch table salt
- 12 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN:
- Move the oven rack to the lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
STEEP MILK:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together 2 cups of cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a low boil, whisking frequently.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
PREP PAN:
- While the cream steeps, boil 3-4 cups of water.
- Set 8 ramekins (that are about 4-5 ounces each) in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
MIX CUSTARD MIXTURE:
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large (at least 8 cup) measuring cup or a medium bowl.
- After the cream mixture has steeped for 30 minutes, uncover the pot and whisk in the remaining 2 cups of cream.
- Add egg yolks to the pot and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the measuring cup or bowl.
- Evenly divide the custard mixture into the ramekins.
BAKE:
- Move the pan with the ramekins over to the oven (move slowly, so you don’t make a mess!). Place the pan on the oven rack and then slowly pour the boiling water into the pan. Pour slowly, so you don’t splash any water into the custard mixture!
- Bake until the centers register 172-175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30-35 minutes. If the ramekins are shallow, this will take more like 25-30 minutes.
COOL AND CHILL:
- Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack. Cool the custard to room temperature; this will take about 1 ½ – 2 hours.
- Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
BRULEE AND SERVE:
- Gently pat the surface of the custards dry with a paper towel.
- Add ½ Tablespoon of turbinado sugar to each ramekin. Gently tap the sides of the ramekins to cover the surfaces with the sugar. Tilt the ramekins to tap out extra sugar.
- Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar by holding the flame 2-3 inches from the sugar. Move the flame back and forth in a circular pattern.
- Serve or chill for up to 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Gave this recipe a test run and we loved it! Will be making it for the holidays!
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try this one!