Butterscotch Pots de Crème

Butterscotch pots de crème are my dinner party secret weapon. Every time I make them, they are met with rave reviews. Plus they are best made ahead of time, which is perfect for entertaining. 

I made these pots de crème for New Year's Eve this past year. We celebrated at a friends house and I brought over a bunch of these little Weck jars filled with butterscotch goodness. I only recently retrieved all of those jars and it reminded me that I need to show you all how to make this simple and delicious dessert. 

Couple notes on the recipe.

First it uses two different kinds of sugar. The two sugars provide a depth of flavor to the butterscotch that is not only sweet but rich. If you can't muscavado or Demerara substitute with dark brown sugar and granulated sugar respectively.  However if you do want to use the different types of sugar, I found mine at Whole Foods and I would imagine you can get them on Amazon as well. 

Also, you can make most of this recipe ahead of time. You can make the base the day before then refrigerate overnight and bake off the next day. You can also make the whole dessert (minus the whipped cream) the day before you want to serve it then refrigerate until ready to eat. They should last about 2 days in the fridge but they never last that long in my house because we eat them too quickly. 

Lastly, the cook time is going to depend on how much you fill your ramekins. The more filling you add, the longer it will cook. I made 4 serving that took about 50 minutes to cook. This recipe can also make 6 servings, just add a little less to each jar and reduce the cook time. 

Enjoy! 

Butterscotch Pots deCrème

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup muscavado sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 cup water
• 3Tbs. Demerara sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. vanilla 

Garnish with whipped cream and cocoa powder

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. 

In a medium sized pot combine the heavy cream, muscovado sugar and salt. Place over medium heat and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. 

In another medium sized pot add the Demerara sugar and water. Whisk until combined and place over medium high heat. Cook the sugar mixture until most of the water is evaporated and large bubbles have formed, about 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully pour the heavy cream mixture into the carmel. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and vanilla. Carefully pour in the cream mixture and whisk well. Strain the mixture to remove any pieces of sugar that didn't melt properly then divide the mixture into 4 to 6 ramekins or oven-safe dishes of your choice. 

Place ramekins in a large oven-safe dish. Fill the dish with warm water until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. 

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the mixture is set and the center only slightly jiggles. Remove and let the pots de cremes cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight or until ready to eat.  Garnish with whipped cream and cocoa powder. 

Makes 4 to 6 servings