All in Good Taste with Tyler: Doughnut Crème Brûlée

Yes, I know I haven’t updated my blog in quite a while, and for that, I apologize. This year has just been so busy and hectic, I simply haven’t had time to concoct very many new recipes that I felt were worth sharing with you. However, here is one that I hope you will really love!

As many of you may well know, today, a certain establishment specializing in delicious doughnuts is offering a super special birthday discount on some of their glazed fare, and I just had to partake. Being born and raised in the South, I’m pretty sure a substantial percentage of my blood is comprised of Krispy Kreme glaze. Having a rather insatiable sweet tooth, I’ve sampled many doughnuts far and wide, and I’ve enjoyed most of them, but when I get a hankering for doughnuts, Krispy Kreme is always the option that I find the most satisfying.

I’ve encountered many recipes over the years that use these legendary doughnuts as an ingredient, but one particular recipe especially caught my eye: Krispy Kreme Crème Brûlée. Now, I just happen to be a crème brûlée fanatic. As a matter of fact, one of my all-time favorite restaurant desserts is the Crème Brûlée Trio at Grille 29 in Birmingham, Alabama. Therefore, the idea of taking two of my favorite sweet treats and combining them into a singular decadent dessert is immensely appealing to me. The recipe I read looked quite delicious, but personally, I found it a little bit fussy, so I wanted to try to simplify it and give it a couple of my own personal touches. This recipe is the result, and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Doughnut Crème Brûlée

3 glazed doughnuts*

4 egg yolks

½ cup sugar + extra for the topping

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup milk

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. vanilla

*For this recipe, I recommend Krispy Kreme, but you can use your favorite glazed doughnuts!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a blender or food processor, combine doughnuts, heavy cream, and milk, and puree until all ingredients are evenly blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the egg yolk and sugar mixture to the blender or food processor with salt and vanilla, and gently puree the mixture. It should have the consistency of a thin cake batter.

Evenly distribute the custard mixture among four ramekins. Gently place the ramekins in a deep pan, and fill the pan with water until it reaches about halfway up the ramekins. Gently place the pan in the preheated oven. (Tip: You may want to place the pan in the oven before adding the water to it in order to avoid spilling or splashing.)

Cook the custards for 60-75 minutes* or until the custard is firmly set with a slight wobble in the middle. (*Cooking times may vary for different ovens. I recommend checking the custards after they have cooked for 45 minutes. If they are not cooked, then continue to cook them, checking every 10 minutes or until they are set. The usual cooking time will be somewhere between 60 and 75 minutes.)

Once the custards have set, gently remove them from the pan and allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes. After they have cooled, top each custard with an even coating of about 1 tbs. of sugar. You can either brûlée the top with a kitchen torch, or you can set the custards under a broiler until the top is evenly crisp and caramelized.

Serve, and enjoy!