A crackly crust with creamy custard underneath can only mean one thing: crème brûlée. This fall-ready reboot includes everything you love about the classic French dessert, but with an added pinch of pumpkin spice and a smidge of pumpkin purée. Gently tap the caramelized sugar crust to crack it open, then dig your spoon through the sugar shards and into the rich, golden, silky smooth pumpkin custard for the perfect bite.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, and pumpkin pie spice, and bring to a steaming simmer. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar and whisk together immediately. Slowly add the milk mixture to the egg mixture while whisking to temper the yolks. Continue to add the warm milk while constantly whisking until completely combined.
3. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée, then whisk until well combined.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between four oven-safe ramekins. Place the ramekins inside a large shallow baking dish and fill the dish with water about halfway up the ramekins.
5. Place ramekins in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The custard should be jiggly, yet firm in the middle when the pan is gently shaken.
6. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, then remove the ramekins from the water bath. Cool custards on a wire rack until almost room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and placing them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
7. Once chilled, sprinkle the custards evenly with the 1/3 cup sugar to completely cover the surface of the custard.
8. Using a culinary torch, torch the sugar until it has dissolved and turned to a dark amber color. If you do not have a torch, turn your oven broiler on high heat and place the custards under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Be sure to stay close to the oven to keep an eye on the custards, as they will caramelize quickly.
9. Once the sugar topping has caramelized, let cool slightly and serve!

Nellie's Notes

When tempering the yolks, be sure to keep whisking and only add the hot milk a little bit at a time to avoid scrambling your eggs.

Wondering if the water bath is really necessary? It really is! Using a water bath to bake these delicate custards allows for a gentler bake so you end up with a beautifully smooth and creamy dessert. Without a water bath, your custard may end up dried out and cracked on the surface.

Make sure you don't place the custards back in the fridge after torching the sugar, because that deliciously caramelized sugar will melt, and the topping will no longer be crunchy.