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Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée

This fall take on a classic technical dessert, is more simple then it looks. Made with only a few kitchen staples, the only prep time for this is only 30 minutes. This show stopping dessert is made of a simple pumpkin spice custard, and topped with a thin layer of caramelized sugar to give you that satisfying crack when diving in for the first bite. With Thanksgiving in just a week, this Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée is perfect to show off your baking skills, in an absolutely delicious way.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Servings: 6 Ramekins
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 5 large egg yolks
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar divided
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • ¾ cup pumpkin purée
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice homemade* or store bought
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Equipment

  • Kitchen Torch*

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
  2. In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks and ½ cup of granulated sugar together. Set aside. At this time, begin to bring a pot of water to a boil (I do it in a tea kettle). It doesn’t really matter the volume of the water, we will be using it in step # 5 to make a water bath.
  3. As the water is heating up, heat the cream, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together on medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Do this until the cream begins to simmer. Once simmering, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  4. Take out roughly ½ cup of the hot cream and slowly and steadily stream it into the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly. Then, slowly and steadily stream that mixture back into the cream, whisking to combine.
  5. Divide the mixture between 6 round ramekins. Place them on a rimmed baking dish and pour the hot water from step #2 into the baking dish around the custards. You will want an even layer of water, about 1 ½ inches deep.
  6. Carefully transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 170°F when inserted to the middle of one of the custards. Oven times vary, so I recommend checking at the 30 minute mark. The sides will be a little set, but the center will still be jiggly. The tops will have developed a bit of a skin, and might have bubbles.
  7. Using gloves or a towel, carefully move the custards from the water bath and place on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled, around 1 hour. Then, chill the custards for 4 hours in the refrigerator, with a piece of cling wrap on top so that it is touching the surface of the custard.
  8. Sprinkle the remaining granulated sugar in an even layer on top of each of the custards. Use your kitchen torch* to evenly toast the sugared tops of the creme brûlée. The sugar will turn golden and melt into a smooth and even layer, which will almost instantly harden. To ensure the sugar doesn’t burn, angle the torch slightly so that it isn’t hitting a small area with a full blast of heat. Be very careful doing this step to make sure nothing burns.
  9. Serve immediately, the un-torched custard will last up to four days in the fridge.

Notes

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Nowadays, most stores have pumpkin pie spice. But if you can’t get your hands on any, I use this recipe to make quick and easy homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Oven Broiler Method: If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can use an oven broiler instead. Place the chilled custards with the sugar sprinkled on top on a baking sheet and broil on high until the sugar is caramelized. Keep a close eye on it, because the tops can burn very quickly!