Gingerbread Creme Brûlée

If you've spent time on this site or on my Instagram page, then you've possibly noticed that gingerbread is a recurring theme and one of my favorite holiday flavors. I've incorporated it into biscotti, macarons, doughnuts, made it into cookies, houses and farms.... And now (drum roll!) I've turned it into a creme brûlée, perfect for holiday entertaining. Featuring warm spices, brown sugar, and a touch of molasses mixed with a cool, creamy custard, gingerbread creme brûlée is an extra festive twist on the classic dessert.

Creme Brûlée 101

Creme brûlée is a French baked custard dessert with a caramelized sugar top that is usually served chilled. A traditional creme brûlée features a custard flavored with pure vanilla extract or vanilla seeds from the pod, but it can be flavored with other ingredients, like chocolate, pumpkin, coffee....or (surprise!) gingerbread.

The custard is baked in a water bath until set, and then chilled. Next, the top is coated with sugar and caramelized with a kitchen torch or broiler. Creme brûlée is served with a spoon, and the hard caramelized top is cracked to reveal the creamy custard underneath. This is usually done dramatically if you are watching The Great British Baking Show.

Gingerbread Creme Brûlée: My 3 Top Tips

1. Don't overcook your custard: When you heat the custard on the stovetop, you are only doing it for a little bit (1 minute) before pouring it into the ramekins. You are not looking to thicken it like a pastry cream. The custards will thicken in the water bath in the oven.
2. Make them ahead!: This is the perfect dessert for you to make in advance for your holiday entertaining. Bake the custards and then chill them overnight. Right before you serve them, caramelize the tops and wow your guests with your culinary abilities!
3. Caramelize carefully: If you are using a broiler to caramelize your sugar, keep an eye on the process. It can happen in minutes, and you don't want to burn your precious desserts! If you are using a kitchen torch, make sure you move it evenly over the surface of your custards so that all of the sugar becomes golden brown and bubbly.

Ingredients and Special Equipment

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities

Gingerbread Creme Brûlée Ingredient Notes

• Egg yolks: Use large eggs at room temperature. Keep the egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge for another use, such a royal icing or meringue.
• Light brown sugar: Can substitute dark brown sugar.
• Ground cinnamon: You will need one teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• Ground ginger: You will need one whole teaspoon ground ginger (it is called gingerbread creme brûlée, after all!)
• Ground cloves: You will need less of this, one quarter teaspoon, as it is a strong spice.
• Molasses: Use a light or an unsulphured molasses.
• Half and half
• Heavy whipping cream
• Crystallized ginger (optional): Crystallized ginger can be a bit hard to find. Look in the bulk foods section of your grocery store (where the grains, nuts, flours, dried fruits are stored in bulk), in the dried fruit section, or sometimes it is even in the produce section. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they sell bags of the ginger at a reasonable price.

Recommended equipment

• Ramekins (6 to 8): If you don't have ramekins or creme brûlée dishes, you can use small oven-proof cups (just be sure that they are indeed oven-proof!)
• Kitchen torch: A small blow torch, pictured above, used for things like toasting meringue or caramelizing sugar on desserts. If you don't have one, just use your broiler.
• Deep baking tray / large baking dish: The custards are baked in a water bath, or a "bain marie", which is a pan of hot water placed in the oven to create an even cooking environment for baked goods.

Step By Step Photos and Instructions

Prepare the Gingerbread Custard

1. Preheat oven to 300℉.
2. In a heavy medium saucepan set over a medium flame, heat cream and the half and half and bring them to a low boil. Turn off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses until well combined.

4. Gradually add the hot cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until thoroughly incorporated. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and then cook over medium heat for 1 minute more, whisking constantly.

5. Divide custard mixture among 6-8 ramekins (4-6 ounce sizes work the best), filling them almost to the top.

6. Place the ramekins in a large baking dish with deep sides, spacing them apart. Warm water in a tea kettle, saucepan or medium bowl in the microwave. Pour enough hot water into the baking dish so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake and "Brûlée"The Custards

7. Bake the custards for 35-50 minutes, or until the tops are set and the custard has a slight wobble or is slightly jiggly in the center. The amount of time that your custards take to bake will depend on the depth of your ramekins. The shallower ones will be close to 35 minutes, while deeper ramekins may take 50 or more. The centers of the custard should measure 165°F if checked with a thermometer.

8. Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish and then transfer them to a sheet pan / baking sheet or a cooling rack that will fit into your refrigerator. Chill the custards until they are very cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

9. Preheat the broiler or prepare your kitchen torch, if using. After the custards have chilled, sprinkle the surface of each custard with about 1-2 teaspoons of the sugar, coating the surfaces. 

10. If broiling your creme brûlées, place the ramekins on a sheet pan and then place sheet pan under the broiler until the sugar starts to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you can use your kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, holding the torch 1-2 inches from the surface and moving it around slowly until the sugar has turned deep golden brown and bubbly.

11. Allow the creme brûlées to rest for a few minutes, and then serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of candied ginger (optional)

Variations On Gingerbread Creme Brûlée

• Flavoring: Substitute two teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It will still taste like gingerbread with the molasses and brown sugar.
• Topping: Instead of whipped cream and crystallized ginger, top your creme brûlées with assorted fresh berries or even a drizzle of chocolate sauce (chocolate and ginger go so well together!)
• Dairy: You can substitute whole milk for the heavy cream, but it will yield a thinner custard. You can also use a full fat coconut milk as a non-dairy option.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

• The custards can be prepared one day in advance and then chilled overnight to caramelized the next day. Store them in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.
• If you aren't serving the creme brûlée immediately after caramelizing the tops, you can chill them for several hours, loosely covered or uncovered. It is best to serve them fairly soon after caramelizing though, for a nice crisp crust that contrasts with the creamy filling.

Creme Brûlée Troubleshooting and FAQ

1. What do I do if my creme brûlée custard is lumpy? To fix a lumpy custard, strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any egg bits that might not be combined properly. Avoid bringing any custard to a full boil which will cause it to curdle.
2. Why didn't my creme brulee set? Crème brûlée is done when it's firm around the edges but still wobbles in the middle. If the custard ripples from edge to edge, it's underbaked. Leave them in the oven longer, checking every 3 minutes for progress.
3. Why won't the sugar caramelize on top of my creme brûlée? You might be using the wrong type of sugar. Use white granulated sugar, as the small granules caramelize quickly, so you can see when it's browning. Raw sugar is already brown, so it's harder to tell when it's done. You may also have put too much sugar onto your custard, just a thin layer is all that is needed to caramelize the tops!

I Love Gingerbread! Try some more of my spiced Sweet Treats:

• Cut-Out Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
• Homemade White Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti
• Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Macarons
• Pumpkin Gingerbread Doughnuts

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!