Cranberry Crème Brûlée Recipe with Amaretto

Cranberry Crème Brûlée with Amaretto is one of the creamiest and dreamiest desserts for the holiday season. With amaretto soaked cranberries in every bite, surrounded by velvety custard, you and your guests simply won't be able to get enough!

I'm super excited to share this Cranberry Crème Brûlée Recipe with Amaretto with you because I'm in love with it!

It's an easy crème brûlée recipe that's baked in the oven and can be made well ahead of time, making it ideal for dinner parties.

And it's absolutely luscious! 

The Ingredients

• cranberries - Fresh or frozen and thawed.
• granulated sugar
• amaretto - Amaretto is an almond liqueur (Disaronno Originale is a good one.) The cranberries are cooked in this -- the alcohol is cooked off and the flavor is absorbed by the fruit.
• vanilla - Vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract.
• heavy cream
• egg yolks

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

• Amaretto. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) is a great substitute for Amaretto. And if you'd like a non-alcoholic alternative, use a combination of 1 tablespoon almond extract and 3 tablespoons of water.
• Heavy cream. If you want to lighten it up a bit, you can substitute half of the cream with whole milk or half and half.
• Can you use other fruits? Yes! Try it with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries. Unlike cranberries, all of these berries can be eaten raw. Therefore, the cooking time is much shorter -- 5 minutes instead of 15. (Otherwise, the instructions in the recipe are the same.)

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

• Be sure to cool the cream completely before attempting to combine it with the egg yolk mixture. (Otherwise, you might get scrambled eggs!)
• *Very Important* For the baking time to be accurate, the 6-ounce ramekins you use should be shallow, not deep! This is what you want. If your ramekins are deeper, you'll have to adjust the baking time. At the 40-minute mark, check them every 7 minutes or so.

Can you make crème brûlée without a kitchen torch?

Yes! If you don't have a kitchen blow torch, you can place the sugar coated custards under a broiler. (Both methods are explained in the detailed recipe card below.)

How to Make it

- Preheat the oven to 325°F and adjust a rack to the center.

- Add the cranberries to a small sauce pan. If you're using the vanilla pod, use a paring knife to slice it in half, lengthwise. Use the back of the knife to scrape the vanilla beans, from both halves, into the saucepan with the cranberries.

- OR add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Then add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the amaretto. Mix to combine.

- Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the cranberries have broken and become soft, and the liquid has thickened. This should take about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely. (If you used a vanilla pod, save it for the next step!)

- While the cranberries are cooking, add the cream, the emptied vanilla pod (if using), and 6 more tablespoons of the sugar to another small saucepan. Place it over low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

- In medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they're well blended. Remove the vanilla pod (if using) from the cream and then in a slow stream, whisk it into the yolks, just until evenly combined.

- Now mix the cooled cranberries into this mixture. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 (6-ounce) shallow ramekins and place them on a rimmed sheet pan.

- Pour enough hot water in the pan to go about halfway up the sides of ramekins. Place the pan in the 325°F oven and bake just until they're set in the center when pan is gently shaken, about 40 minutes.

- Remove ramekins from the pan and let them cool to room temperature. Then cover each one with plastic wrap (being careful it doesn't sit directly on the custard), and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

- About 10 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar evenly among the 4 ramekins.

- Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, one at a time -- quickly moving the flame around until the sugar is crisp and golden. (If you don't have a torch, you can use the broiler. Place the custards on a baking sheet, and adjust a rack so it's directly under the flame. Broil them just until the sugar is golden, about 1 minute.)

Above: The two Cranberry Crème Brûlée on the left have been browned in the oven under the broiler. The two on the right have been browned with a small kitchen torch. Both methods work well, but as you can see they differ slightly in their appearance.

Other Must-Try Cranberry Desserts

• Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
• Cranberry Sauce Muffins

And more Crème Brûlée to Love

• Mexican Chocolate Crème Brûlée
• Coconut Pandan Crème Brûlée
• Champagne Blood Orange Crème Brûlée

Can you make it ahead?

• One of the things I love about serving cranberry crème brûlèe at a dinner party, is that, like most crème brûlèes, you can make it well ahead of time.
• To make them ahead, once they come out of the oven, let them cool completely. Then cover each one with plastic wrap (being careful it doesn't sit directly on the custard), and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

I hope you enjoy every last rich and creamy bite of of this Cranberry Crème Brûlée!

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