A wise person does not hinder a coffee fanatic in search of their early-morning cup of joe; after trying this recipe, you may want to avoid getting in the way of someone going after a Café Latte Crème Brûlée as well! This dessert is made with dark, rich espresso coffee, heavy cream, lots of eggs, and a thin crowning of caramelized sugar, elevating it to gourmet dessert status. Try it and see if it doesn’t exceed your expectations.

The classic method of making crème brûlée holds true for this nothing yet recipe—after all, why try to change a good thing? The difference between this recipe and your traditional crème brûlée is a rich coffee/latte base.

Café Latte Crème Brulee

Total time: 4 hours

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 55-60 minutes

Sitting time: 2+ hours for custard to set

Servings: Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy whipping cream

¼ cup freshly ground espresso coffee beans

4 large eggs

2 egg yolks

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon real vanilla flavored syrup (such as Da Vinci)

6 tablespoons cinnamon-flavored hard candies ground into a powder

Topping:

½ cup whipping cream

2 teaspoon espresso powder

Needed:

12-inch square of fine grade cheesecloth

1 small kitchen hand torch

Directions:

Pour the 1 quart of whipping cream into a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium high heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the cream. Sprinkle the ground espresso beans over the hot cream and stir a time or two with a wooden spoon. Cover loosely and allow the espresso to come to full flavor (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Place the cheesecloth over a fine-mesh sieve and pour the cream/espresso infusion in; allow mixture to drain to remove the coffee grounds.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Place 6 oven-proof custard cups or ramekins into the bottom of a large cake/roasting pan.

Pour 3 quarts of water into a tea kettle and bring to a boil. Reserve and keep hot.

Pour espresso cream into a clean, medium-sized saucepan. Add brown sugar, vanilla syrup, eggs and egg yolks; whisk to combine well.

Heat mixture over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and cream is warm (around 3-4 minutes).

Pour the warm cream mixture into the custard cups (inside roasting pan) and place all into the oven; pour enough of the hot water from tea kettle into the roasting pan to come half-way up the sides of the custard cups. Carefully position roasting pan in middle of the oven rack and close oven.

Bake the Café Latte Cream Brûlée for 50 minutes; when done, the middles should be soft and wiggly.

Remove from oven and take the custard cups out of the water. Arrange on a baking tray and refrigerate for at least 2 ½ hours, though they can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

To serve:

Sprinkle the top of each Crème Brûlée with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon candies. Light the kitchen torch and melt the cinnamon-tinged sugar on each serving. As an alternative, you can use your oven broiler. Let them sit for 5-6 minutes before serving.

Pour the remaining whipping cream into a small bowl and whip. Serve each custard with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with a pinch of the espresso powder.

By changing up a few ingredients, a common Crème Brûlée becomes bold and beautiful with dramatic espresso and cinnamon flavors.