Creme Brulee For Two (2024)

Created By:Heather on February 12, 2018 | Updated: January 23, 2023

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Creme Brulee For Two Is the Perfect Valentine’s Day dessert. So simple to throw together and takes only minutes to prep. And an impressive ending to a Valentine’s Day dinner.

So the first time I attempted creme brulee was for my boyfriend’s and I first Valentine’s Day together it didn’t go quite as planned. I figured I’d dazzle him with my baking skills. Um, except I didn’t plan for the whole chilling time of the creme brulees. My creme brulee was in the oven while we were enjoying dinner. Sounds good right? Yea, except it needs an hour to chill at room temperature. Then four hours in the fridge to set up.

Let’s just say we did not have Valentine’s dessert that year. Maybe that was what you call a Valentine’s day fail. Creme brulee is an easy dessert to throw together. It just needs to be made ahead of time. In fact, it’s that reason that it makes a great make ahead dessert. Basically, don’t do what I did.

If you plan ahead, then creme brulee should become your go to dessert to impress the pants off of your guests.

Here’s the thing with most creme brulee recipes…They make 4-6 servings. Not that I’m against having seconds when it comes to desserts. But when it comes to romantic desserts, two is just perfect.

Like my chocolate molten lava cakes for two.

Two is the key number. So let’s get to making these super easy creme brulees for two. I think you are going to be shocked at the simplicity.

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Creme Brulee?

The best part about creme brulee is only takes a few ingredients. Four to be exact.

• Heavy Cream
• Vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• Egg Yolks – For help on separate your eggs cleanly, read how to separate eggs (6 ways!).
• Sugar

Related: You might also like the rest of these 5 Ingredient Desserts

How Do You Make Creme Brulee?

First you need to heat your heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat in your saucepan with your vanilla. I used vanilla bean paste. And I cant recommend vanilla bean paste enough. It’s like using vanilla beans but at a fraction of the cost. A major step up from vanilla extract. And since this is probably a romantic dessert you’re making, I say go for the splurge.

While the heavy cream is simmering, you want to whisk 2 egg yolks together with 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl until yellow, pale, and ribbony in texture. This step will take about a minute or two.

Then you want to whisk your heavy cream vanilla mixture into your egg yolk mixture. Start by adding just a little bit to temper your eggs. Which is a fancy term meaning to bring your eggs up to temperature so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Then whisk in the rest of your mixture.

And that’s it! You’re ready to bake these! How awesomely simple right?

This recipe makes about 10 ounces of creme brulee liquid so it should make the perfect two 5-ounce ramekins of brulee depending on your creme brulee ramekins. If you use a smaller ramekin you might end up with a little bit more liquid leftover. That just means you might get a third creme brulee.

Call that your chef’s tester creme brulee 😉

The key to baking these creme brulees is to bake them low and slow at a 300°F oven for about 40 minutes in a simple water bath. I put my ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and then place hot tap water in the cookie sheet about halfway up the ramekins.

These will bake for about 40 minutes and will have a skin formed on top, but the mixture will still be jiggly underneath. Then let these cool at room temperature for an hour, then in the fridge covered for 4 hours.

Tips For Making Creme Brulee

• When separating eggs I prefer to use my hands and toss the egg back and forth to separate the whites and yolks. I find that if I use the shell and toss it back and forth sometimes the shell will pierce the yolk.
• When separating eggs, you want to do this in a separate bowl. And add the yolks to the main mixing bowl. That way if you don’t seperate one perfectly, you won’t have ruined the whole batch!
• Make sure to whisk the heavy cream into the yolk/sugar mixture slowly so as not to scramble the yolks. This is called tempering of eggs and what we are trying to avoid is scrambled eggs!
• Don’t skip the hot water bath! This is the same process I used to make my key lime cheesecake. Cheesecakes and creme brulee are basically a custard and need to cook slowly to achieve the velvety smooth texture we are looking for. The hot water bath helps us achieve that! Just be careful when removing the ramekins so that no water gets into the custards. You can be extra careful and wrap each ramekin with tin-foil that extends up past the walls of the ramekin creating a “fence” if you will.
• It’s important you use granulated sugar for the topping because they caramelize quickly. You will also be able to tell when you have torched it enough because of the color change.
• Make sure you are using the correct size ramekin. You want a wide shallow ramekin like these ones I used here. The deeper ramekins will mean that your creme brulee will be overcooked at the edges and undercooked in the centers. This is one of the common mistakes of making creme brulee

How Do I Brulee The Topping?

Now time for the fun part. The brulee topping. I sprinkled about a 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar on top of each one. Just enough to make a thin layer of sugar. Now time to torch! You want to keep your kitchen torch just moving back and forth until the sugar is golden brown.

Broiling your creme brulees is not recommended, however, as you won’t quite get that crisp topping without burning it.

Do not add the brulee topping until you are ready to serve. So if you are making these ahead of time you can refrigerate without the brulee topping. Just cover the custards with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Is Creme Brulee Served Warm Or Cold?

Traditionally they are served cold. You can refrigerate the creme brulee about 30 to 45 minutes before serving. But don’t refrigerate any longer or the sugar topping will soften.

You can also serve them warm, which is my preference!

Creme brulee is easy. And there is nothing more satisfying that giving that crunchy sugar topping a tap and breaking through to that creamy vanilla custard underneath.

So make your Valentine’s Day a success and make these creme brulees for two. You know, just make them ahead of time 😉