Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Creme Brulee

When my husband and I were in Paris last September, there was one dessert he was fixed on trying at least once. Real, authentic creme brulee. To be in Paris with their puff pastries, macaroons, and eclairs, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of goodies with not nearly enough time to taste them all.  I always found myself caving for those light, buttery croissants, while my husband Travis loved the classic custards like creme brulee.

Knowing how much he likes creme brulee, I was certain that dessert would make the prefect Valentine for my Valentine.

Traditional creme brulee is a rich vanilla custard with a sugary, caramelized coating that should crack upon contact with each spoonful. The crisp sugar balances out the creamy custard like a gem. It’s luscious and filling and is often topped with fresh berries. My husband had tried his fair share of this decadence in Paris, so I wanted to surprise him with a little twist. I’m not sure if chocolate creme brulee really exists in Paris, because we never did see it. But when I saw a basic creme brulee recipe in chocolate form on Martha Stewart’s website, I knew Travis would love it. If you are a creme brulee lover and a chocolate lover, you are going to adore this dessert!

I think there is an innate charm about creme brulee that is different from other desserts- it’s not too sweet, it’s filled with protein and it’s often garnished with fresh fruit! However, something has to be added to create that heavenly satin touch. That’s cream and sugar.

Since it’s Valentine’s and this brulee was for my hubby, I wanted to keep things as traditional as I could. Travis has tasted the real thing and I wanted to impress him, so I used heavy cream like the French do. It was only right.

This sugar-free creme brulee is just like the real thing- only fabulously chocolatey. It’s smooth chocolate texture is filled with a nutritious sweetener, but still gives that aspired allusion of real Paris. With each divine satiny bite, the texture and taste will speak for itself – this creme brulee was made with love!

Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Creme Brulee  (adapted from here)
Print Recipe

2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
1/2 cup chopped, sugar free Dark Chocolate*
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
5 large Egg Yolks
Dash of Salt
3 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar, for assembling

In a mixing bowl, separate your egg yolks. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, heat the cream and 1/4 cup coconut sugar over medium heat. Whisk the mixture until the sugar dissolves and the cream is about to simmer. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and combines with the cream and sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and allow to sit while you prepare the eggs.

In the mixing bowl with the eggs, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and a dash of salt. Whisk to combine. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture, while whisking the eggs constantly to incorporate the two while tempering the eggs. Strain the custard mixture while pouring it into four 4-ounce ramekins.

In a large roasting pan or baking dish, fill with hot water so that the water comes up about half way up the sides of the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the water bath, place in the oven and bake for 55 minutes to an hour and 5 minutes- or just until the custard has set. When done baking, place the custards in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Top each custard with 1 or 2 teaspoons of coconut sugar. Broil the custards for 1 or 2 minutes, until crisp or use a handheld kitchen torch to crisp the custards shell.

Refrigerate any leftovers

*If you would like a really rich, dark chocolate flavor, you can use unsweetened bakers chocolate.

Note: Martha’s recipe states the yield amount is for four 4-ounce creme brulees, but I found I had enough for 5.