Chocolate Crème Brûlée is a delicious, chocolatey twist on a classic French dessert. Impress your loved ones by making this beautiful dessert today!
What’s in this Chocolate Creme Brulee Recipe?
Just 5 simple and inexpensive ingredients are needed to create the perfect chocolate crème brûlée. This recipe proves that fancier desserts don’t always have to drain your wallet!
- Egg Yolks: Make the custard rich and thick.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the custard base and creates the signature burnt sugar top.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Makes the custard ultra-creamy.
- Chocolate Chips: Adds chocolate flavor to the custard.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the custard.
Pro Tip: White granulated sugar works best for the tops of crème brûlée. No other sugar achieves the same delicious caramelization as plain white sugar!
Variations on Chocolate Creme Brulee
You can change up the taste of this crème brûlée by changing up the type of chips used. For a richer, darker flavor, use dark chocolate chips. Or for a lighter flavor, use milk chocolate chips. You could even use white chocolate chips or flavored baking chips, like peanut butter, cream cheese, or cinnamon.
The main difference is in the topping. Crème brûlée has a crunchy broiled top, whereas custard does not!
If crème brûlée is baked at too high of a temperature, the custard can both curdle and become too hard. 300°F is the perfect low temperature for baking crème brûlée! Baking them at that temperature creates the desired smooth, creamy, jiggly consistency of the chocolate base.
Yes, it should have a creamy, pudding-like texture all the way through.
If it’s undercooked, the consistency will be a bit liquidy and not quite set. Double-check that your desserts are fully cooked by giving the roasting pan a gentle shake. You’ll know it’s ready when the custard is set in the center and it only slightly jiggles.
This dish is usually served cold with a warm sugar top.
A kitchen torch certainly makes things a whole lot easier when making this classic French dessert, but no, you can caramelize the sugar in other ways! You can place the custards under the broiler to caramelize the sugar, but be sure to keep a close eye on them! A tip I learned a long time ago is to heat a metal spoon over the stove, then once it’s nice and hot, you can heat the sugar with it and it will caramelize. Be careful not to burn your hands!
How to Store
In the refrigerator, chocolate crème brûlée will stay perfectly fresh for up to 3 days. To make sure the texture stays perfect, I recommend wrapping the ramekins in plastic wrap. If not stored properly, you risk the caramelized sugar losing its crunch!
How to Freeze
Cover crème brûlée tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before topping with sugar and torching.
Serving Suggestions
I love to place freshly chopped strawberries on top of my servings. A light dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream is also delicious! For even more flavor, try chocolate whipped cream. Truly, the crystalized sugar is so perfect; you don’t want to place too many garnishes on top that cover it.
Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 large egg yolks 70 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams, divided
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream 454 grams
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips 43 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
For Topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 25 grams
- Strawberries optional, for serving
- Powdered Sugar optional, for serving
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Kitchen Torch (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and half of the sugar together, then set the bowl aside.5 large egg yolks, ½ cup granulated sugar
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy whipping cream and the remaining sugar, whisking together until it begins to lightly bubble, but not boil. Gradually stir in the chocolate chips and keep whisking on low heat until the chocolate has completely melted. You can scrape the whisk on the bottom of the saucepan to make sure there are not unmelted pieces of chocolate. Once the whisk is clear, remove from heat.2 cups heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Allow the chocolate and cream mixture to cool for about 30-60 seconds, then quickly whisk it into the sugar and yolks. (Allowing it to cool for 30 seconds and whisking quickly ensures the eggs won’t cook when they are heated.) Stir in the vanilla until the entire mixture is combined.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Evenly distribute the mixture into small ramekins, being careful not to overfill. Place the ramekins into a baking pan, before filling the pan with water to surround the ramekins. The water should be at least a quarter of the way but no more than halfway up the sides of the ramekins before placing in the oven.
- Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until the crème brûlée has set. Remove from the oven and the baking pan/water. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Once the crème brûlée is completely chilled, sprinkle a small spoonful of sugar on the top of each ramekin. Use a food torch to heat the sugar until it crystalizes on top. If you don't have a torch, place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven on the top rack. Use the broil option for a few minutes, until the sugar crystalizes.2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Serve with strawberries or sprinkles of powdered sugar if desired.Strawberries, Powdered Sugar
Notes
- The size of the ramekin is very important. If your ramekin is too deep, the pudding will most likely not bake evenly. Try to aim for the small ramekins you see in my photos!
- When adding water to the baking pan, do your best to not get any water in the ramekins. Even the smallest amount of water can disrupt the chocolate base and cause it to not bake correctly.
- White granulated sugar works best for the tops of crème brûlée. No other sugar achieves the same delicious caramelization as plain white sugar!
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say wonderful blog!