Salted Caramel Pot de Crème ~ I bake this luxuriously comforting caramel custard dessert right in my cutest Weck jars, and everybody goes crazy for them
Salted caramel pot de crème is my kind of fancy: elegant without the attitude. We cook the sugar to a deep amber, whisk in cream, egg yolks and vanilla, then bake the custard low and slow until it has that gentle wobble. A pinch of sea salt pulls the caramel into focus. Make them a day ahead and you’ve got dessert that feels luxe without trying too hard.
INGREDIENTS FOR CARAMEL POT DE CRÈME
Just a few simple pantry staples, yay!
- sugar
- as it caramelizes, sugar browns and builds deep, nutty, toasty flavor.
- cream
- the backbone of the custard ~ its main base and richness.
- large egg yolks
- their proteins thicken the custard giving body, richness, and that satiny texture.
- sea salt
- fine sea salt is in the pot de creme and also sprinkled on top. I really like the little edge it gives to the caramel flavor. This is the adult version of butterscotch pudding.
- vanilla
- boosts the toffee/butterscotch notes, and adds warm aroma without extra sweetness.
tips for making salted caramel pot de crème
Once you get this process down you won’t think twice about it. I’ve made this recipe many times and never had a problem.
- caramelize the sugar: you want to cook it until it gets nice and brown, but not burnt. It will take about 10-15 minutes on the stove, but you have to watch it closely, and use your nose, towards the end. The darker the sugar mixture, the more flavor the pot de creme will have, but if it gets too dark, or you start to smell a burnt odor, you’ve taken it too far. You have to have vigilance, and a little bit of trust, to make it work.
- don’t skip the water bath: it’s easy to do and the water bath keeps the heat gentle so the custard sets silky instead of curdled.
- knowing when your pots are done: they only take about 30 minutes to cook. The edges will be set, but the centers will still be jiggly. The pot de creme sets up more as it cools and then chills.
Salted Caramel pot de creme jars (4-6 ounce)
One of the fun aspects of pot de creme is the little ‘pots’ we cook and serve them in. I pour the hot custard into oven-safe jars or ramekins, set them in a casserole dish, and add hot water to come about halfway up the sides (a water bath ensures even, gentle cooking). They’re cute and everybody gets their own little serving.
WECK JARS are favorites of mine, you see them over and over again on my blog. They’re glass jars from Germany, originally developed for canning, but they can be used for so much more. I have trouble keeping a supply in my kitchen because they have a tendency to ‘go missing’.
I used my favorite Weck tulip jelly jars, (you can find them on Amazon here.) But this shape jar also works well.
more creamy desserts!
- Baked Custard
- Butterscotch Pudding Pie
- Cranberry Mousse Pie
- Chocolate Pot de Crème
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding
- Dreamy Nutella Mousse Pie!
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Salted Caramel Pot de Crème
Equipment
- 4-6 individual oven safe jars or ramekins anywhere from 4-7 ounce capacity
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp sea salt plus more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Arrange your jars or ramekins in a baking dish.
- Whisk the egg yolks gently in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside.
- In a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Begin heating it and stir to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture reaches a boil, stop stirring and continue boiling on medium heat for anywhere from 10-15 minutes, until the sugar syrup starts to brown. You can swirl the pan but do not stir. The browner the syrup gets, the more flavor you will have in your finished custard, but be extra careful not to let it burn.
- When the syrup is nice and brown, stir in the cream (be careful, it will spurt.) The caramel with be hardened at first and will dissolve as you stir and the cream heats up. Stir until all the bits of caramel are dissolved. This may take a few minutes.
- Slowly drizzle the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, stirring with a silicone spoon as you drizzle. Continue until all the cream has been incorporated into the eggs and is smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh seive into a container with a pouring spout.
- Pour the mixture into 4-6 small oven safe glasses.
- Set the glasses in a baking dish and pour hot water into the dish to come up about an inch or two.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the custards are set on the edges, but still a little wobbly in the center.
- Carefully remove the jars from the water and let cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate until chilled.
- Serve with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Nutrition
POT DE CRÈME, CUSTARD, PUDDING, CRÈME BRÛLÉE, PANNA COTTA
These are all types of custard desserts, with subtle differences…
- pot de crème translates from French to ‘pot of cream’, a simple custard dessert made with eggs, milk, sugar, and flavoring. Custards are usually baked in a water bath, in the oven.
- pudding is looser than custard, is cooked on the stove. Pudding uses a starch such as cornstarch for thickening. Pudding can be make with or without eggs, but custard relies on eggs as its thickener.
- crème brûlée is a custard that has sugar sprinkled on the surface that is then torched to caramelize it.
- panna cotta is a light custard that includes gelatin.
Absolutely delicious!!!! Will be a go to dessert for sure! Thank you!
This is the second desert recipe we’ve tried this month, and for the second time your recipe did not disappoint. This was fun and the perfect way to top off our family weekend after a roast chicken dinner – thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad Deb. Hope I can continue to inspire you!
I really like it! Will try this for my son’s birthday party. <3
Creamy and delicious and yummy for sure. I love it. Amazing Dessert. Best for the weekend to enjoy with family.
This was so easy and the perfect small dessert! Definitely making again 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks SO delicious and creamy, totally going to make this tonight thanks for sharing!!
Can i make this in a bigger dish??
Yes, you could, I would use a wide shallow dish so the custard can cook through.
This recipe is amazing! I even ordered the Weck jars you linked as well. I made them for dessert for Easter lunch and everyone said they tasted just like a restaurant! I even did a dollop of whipped cream and stuck in a pair of chocolate rabbit ears that I made as well! One thing to note is that this recipe doesn’t fill the Weck jars all the way to the top, more like halfway which I was a bit bummed when it came time to fill them. Once we were all eating them though I realized they are very rich and I don’t know how much more I could have eaten, so it all worked out. 🙂
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome Haddie <3
Make sure that the water bath is made with already hot water. You could heat the egg yolks and some cream in a double boiler (as is done in a creme Anglaise) to start the tempering process but I would finish it with the hot cream. Water baths are used in just about every baked custard recipe, it prevents cracking and allows for a smoother custard. I use the glass containers from Oui yogurt for this and the portions are just about right. Thank you for this recipe, it is always a hit and a wonderful base for other flavors.
Couldn’t you double boil the egg yokes first and then add the cream, and skip the water bath bake?
Not sure what you mean, Michael, but I don’t think it would get firm enough if you don’t bake it.