Cappuccino Crème Brûlée

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Pour Kahlúa and vanilla into a small to medium sized bowl. Add espresso powder and whisk until dissolved. Stir in cream. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, briskly whisk the egg yolks until pale in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon, and whisk until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Gently whisk in the cream mixture, just until combined.

Place 6 small oven-safe coffee cups (mine have a 1 cup capacity) in a baking pan. Divide the cappuccino custard mixture evenly between the 6 cups, allowing at least 1/4″ of head space at the top of the cup for the sugar topping.

Pour warm water into the pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the cups. Put pan into the oven. Bake in the oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until center of each custard still jiggles just slightly. Carefully remove the pan from the oven (remember it’s full of hot water), set it on a rack and lift the cups from the hot water. Set cups aside. Let them cool for about 20 minutes on the counter, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, place the cups on a baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle 1 teaspoon of raw sugar over each custard. With a hand-held torch, caramelize the sugar until it is browned evenly.

Serve with a small dollop of freshly whipped cream, a dusting of cinnamon, and a chocolate covered coffee bean or two.

Note: If using a more standard shaped dish for crème brûlée, one that is wider and allows the custard to be shallower, baking time will need to be lessened and adjusted accordingly. You will also want to add more raw sugar to the top of the baked and cooled custards, as the surface area is larger than when using the coffee cups.

Adapted from my own Almond Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée which was adapted from the recipe “Classic Vanilla Bean Créme Brûlée” from the cookbook Créme Brûlée by Lou Seibert Pappas.