Eggnog Crème Brûlée with Sugared Cranberries

by Erin

This Eggnog Crème Brûlée with Sugared Cranberries is all dressed up and ready for the holidays! Impress you guests with this stunningly delicious holiday dessert.

Eggnog Crème Brûlée with Sugared Cranberries Christmas Dessert
This content is sponsored by the Ohio Poultry Association. I was compensated for this post but all thoughts and opinions remain my own.

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Have you started your holiday baking yet? I definitely am restocking my baking supplies more often than usual these days, especially eggs and I am not alone in this.

After all eggs are one of the most important ingredients in holiday cooking and baking, obviously all year long as well, but more eggs are consumed during the winter holiday season than any other time of year – including Easter.

Thankfully I have a regular supply of egg as a member of an egg club. Oh yea, my cool points just went up and you know it. Every other week I get 2 dozen eggs from a local Ohio egg farm and let me tell you, they are the best eggs I’ve ever had. The yolks are so vibrant and they taste so fresh!

But if you aren’t lucky enough to be a part of an egg club there’s a good chance the eggs you’ll use for holiday baking came from an Ohio egg farm, even if you don’t live in Ohio. Ohio is ranked #2 in the nation for egg farming, producing more than 10 billion eggs a year.

Visit OhioEggs.com to meet more egg farming families. Ohio egg farmers are proud to provide healthy, safe and affordable eggs to consumers year-round, while protecting the environment for future generations.

Eggnog Crème Brûlée topped with Sugared Cranberries

When purchasing eggs from the grocery store, I always get large eggs because I bake a lot. But if you are lucky enough to also be in an egg club, you’ll know that they are not always the standard large size that need to be used in baking. Or if you don’t bake as often you might buy medium or extra-large. Whatever suits your fancy.

However if you don’t use large eggs when baking, different sizes can affect the texture, flavor, and consistency if you don’t adjust accordingly. No one wants a recipe failure on a regular day, let alone a holiday, so use this conversion chart to see how to substitute different sizes.

In addition to their size, eggs are a holiday key ingredient to add moisture, color, flavor, and nutritional value to a variety of recipes. Just look at the color of this crème brûlée. Those farm fresh eggs combined with local eggnog are surely responsible for that golden hue.

Sugared Cranberries on top Eggnog Crème Brûlée

Eggnog Crème Brûlée Ingredients:

Note that this recipe only uses the yolks. You can use an inexpensive egg separator or a funnel to separate the whites from the yolks. That way you will avoid any potential contamination that may occur when passing back and forth from the shells or your hands.

Once you have the right large eggs, yolks separated, you can get to work making this elegant crème brûlée topped with sugared cranberries. I say this every time I talk about it, but crème brûlée is easier to make than it looks.

To start, you heat the eggnog, heavy cream, and sugar just until it steams, then slowly whisk it into the room temperature egg yolks, so as not to curdle them. That’s really the hardest part but as long as you are slow and whisk constantly you will be in the clear. From there you pour the custard into the ramekins, bake, and chill. The best part is these can be made in advance. When you are ready to serve, caramelize the sugar on top.

While you could serve this delicious eggnog crème brûlée on it’s own, I had to add a little extra for the holidays with some sugared cranberries on top. You coat fresh cranberries with simple syrup, let them dry until sticky, then roll in sugar. Don’t they look like the perfect winter garnish?

Sugared cranberries would be great as a garnish on cocktails or a Christmas charcuterie board as well ;-).

Eggnog Crème Brûlée with Sugared Cranberries

Here are some other useful egg facts and baking tips for the holidays:

  • Start your holiday mornings with eggs! One large egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein to keep you feeling fuller longer and energized all day.
  • Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse, with one egg containing 6 grams of high-quality protein and 8 essential nutrients, all for 70 calories. Plus, eggs are naturally free of sugars and carbohydrates.
  • Eggs are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of vitamin D.
  • If your recipe calls for multiple eggs, add one egg at a time. This will help prevent a lumpy batter and will allow it to mix evenly.
  • Set eggs out about 30 minutes ahead to safely bring them to room temperature for easy mixing into batter or dough.

Visit www.OhioEggs.com and follow the Ohio Poultry Association on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for more egg recipes and to learn about egg nutrition and egg safety tips.

Holiday Eggnog Crème Brûlée

Three years ago: Brownie Batter Hot Chocolate Mix

Seven years ago: Peppermint & Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies

Eight years ago: Chicken and Pesto Stuffed Shells

Nine years ago: Sugar Cookie Spoons for Hot Cocoa

Eleven years ago: Blueberry-Almond Turtles

Eggnog Crème Brûlée with Sugared Cranberries Christmas Dessert
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Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CRÈME BRÛLÉE

  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar + 4 tsp sugar, divided
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tsp good vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks, room temperature

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 6 oz. fresh cranberries

Directions

  1. For the custard: Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line the bottom of a large baking pan with a damp kitchen cloth.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While water is boiling, combine eggnog, cream, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally 4-5 minutes, until steam rises.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Slowly drizzle hot cream into yolks, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the cream is incorporated. Pour mixture into four 6 oz. ramekins.
  4. Place ramekins on towel in baking dish, and place dish on oven rack. Pour boiling water into dish to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover whole pan loosely with foil.
  5. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Chill ramekins in refrigerator 4-6 hours.
  6. For the cranberries: In a medium sauce pan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Place over medium heat and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
  7. Add cranberries and stir until coated. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a wire rack, allowing the excess to drip off. Allow to dry for 45-60 minutes, or until dry but sticky.
  8. To a small bowl, add the remaining Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Add 1/4 of the cranberries to the sugar and toss to coat on all sides. Remove and place in a bowl. Repeat until all of the cranberries are sugared*.
  9. Sugared cranberries should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, and will keep for 3-4 days. If they get weepy, toss with additional sugar.
  10. To assemble: Before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over each custard. Use a kitchen torch (or broiler placed 3 inches away) to brown top, 2-3 minutes. Top with sugared cranberries and serve immediately.

Notes

*Store cranberries in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If the sugar dissolves, toss in additional sugar before serving.

Did You Make This Recipe?
I want to see! Tag me on Instagram at @TheSpiffyCookie and hashtag it #TheSpiffyCookie.

Source: Adapted from my Crème Brûlée and cranberries from NeighborFood.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

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1 comment

Susan December 10, 2021 - 12:11 pm

I appreciate the chart for egg size conversion, but I ended up looking up the weights for different egg sizes because I have no ability to size them visually. The Kitchn has a very useful chart for that. These days I’m finding that knowing the weights of things really helps to make recipes work.

Reply

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