Impress your friends with this new take on a classic dessert.
These creme brulee donuts are filled with delicate pastry cream and finished with a crunchy caramel topping.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This is a great recipe because you can make a lot and share them with your friends, family, or colleagues to brighten their day.
Additionally, these creme brulee donuts are an excellent addition to your Sunday brunch offering or dessert option when you have many hungry folks to serve.
Anyone with a sweet tooth will love these creme brulee donuts. The problem is making them last longer than a day!
Ingredients
Egg Yolks:
If you've never separated an egg yolk from the white, it is a fairly simple process. Holding your egg over a bowl, crack it, then transfer the egg back and forth between each half of the shell. As you do this the egg white will begin to separate and fall into the bowl leaving you with just the egg yolk in your shell. Using just the yolk in this recipe will give you softer, fluffier donuts.
Oil:
When it comes to frying your donuts, it's important to use the right oil. Vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut, and soybean oils are all acceptable to fry your donuts in.
Tips
- This creme brulee donut recipe is easy to follow but you have to pay close attention at each stage. Each element is very delicate and can burn very quickly so it's important to keep a close eye on everything as it cooks.
- The caramel is going to be incredibly hot so I recommend wearing gloves to protect your hand from getting burned during the dipping process.
What to Serve With Creme Brulee Donuts
These creme brulee donuts pair really well with a pumpkin spice latte or a hot chocolate for an occasional indulgence.
Top your donuts with some fried apples or peach jam. Serve them alongside some bacon and eggs at brunch.
FAQs
How long can creme brulee donuts be stored?
Creme brulee donuts can be stored for up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Due to the perishable elements of the donuts, they cannot be kept at room temperature.
Can I make creme brulee donuts ahead of time?
The custard filling can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge. You can make the dough in advance and even leave the dough overnight in your fridge. However, due to the yeast, it must be used within 24 hours to prevent the yeast from fermenting.
Do I have to fry my donuts or can I bake them?
If you prefer, you can bake your donuts at 350F for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let them cool completely before filling.
More Dessert Recipes
If you loved how these tasty creme brulee donuts satisfied your sweet tooth craving, you will likely enjoy these sweet treats as well.
Creme Brulee Donuts
Ingredients
Donut Dough
- 1 cup milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- â…“ cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Custard
- 1 cup milk
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- â…› cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon butter unsalted
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ vanilla bean
Caramel Coating
- 1 cup sugar granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup water filtered
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Optional
- powdered sugar
- sliced strawberries
Instructions
Dough
- Combine yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar then slowly whisk in milk. Allow mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes. Once it's foamy, stir in egg yolks and vanilla until combined
- Add your yeast mixture, flour, butter, salt, and sugar to a large bowl. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes soft and elastic.
- Move the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Leave your dough in a warm, dry place to rise for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Custard
- While your dough is rising, heat the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until the color becomes lighter.
- Very slowly whisk your hot milk into your egg yolk mixture. Do this too fast, and your yolks will turn to scrambled eggs.
- Pour this mixture through a sifter back into the saucepan. Continue whisking over medium heat until it begins bubbling and starts to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
- Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. To prevent a skin from forming on top, ensure you press the wrap directly against the surface of the custard. Store it in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the custard has completely cooled.
Donuts
- Turn your risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down. Roll out to about ½ inch thick
- Using a 3" round cookie cutter, cut rounds from the dough. Cut as many as you can, roll the remaining dough back into a ball, and repeat these 2 steps until you have used all the dough.
- Place each donut round on a lightly greased baking sheet to rise for 20-30 minutes. They will double in size, so leave about 1" of space in between each donut.
- Heat oil in a large pot or skillet to 360F. Carefully place donuts in the oil and cook for 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Will will need to be done in batches
- Carefully remove the donuts from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain the excess oil. Place donuts on a paper towel-lined plate while you fry the remaining rounds.
Fill
- Fill a piping bag with your custard and fit it with a piping tip.
- Run a chopstick or skewer through your donut to create a pocket for the custard. Insert the tip of your piping bag into one side of the donut and squeeze to fill it with custard. Repeat with remaining donuts.
Brulee
- Heat sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Give the pan a gentle swirl occasionally. Once the sugar has turned golden brown, remove your pan from the heat and swirl until the brown color deepens.
- Carefully dip the top of each donut onto the caramel, and tilt the donut away from you, allowing the excess to drip off before placing it aside to cool.
- If the caramel mixture begins to harden, return it to the heat and continue swirling until it warms up and becomes more liquid.
- Sprinkle a pinch of powdered sugar and a few strawberry slices on top of each donut once the caramel hardens.
Nutrition
Notes
- This creme brulee donut recipe is easy to follow but you have to pay close attention at each stage. Each element is very delicate and can burn very quickly so it's important to keep a close eye on everything as it cooks.
- The caramel is going to be incredibly hot so I recommend wearing gloves to protect your hand from getting burned during the dipping process.
Found them to be very heavy in texture despite following directions closely