Dairy-Free Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe (with Video)

1. Heat the oven to 325°.
2. Set a kettle of water on to boil. You'll need enough water to fill a 9x13" baking dish halfway up. If the water starts to boil before you need it, just remove it from the heat.
3. Place four (4 oz.) ramekins in a 9x13" baking dish.
4. In a large measuring glass or heavy medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar until well blended.
5. In a small saucepan, add the coconut milk and 1/4 cup sugar and place over medium heat. It's okay if the coconut cream and coconut water have separated in the can. Stir occasionally until the coconut cream and sugar have completely melted.
6. Once the milk mixture begins to gently bubble, add the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and blended (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat.
7. While whisking constantly, sloooooowly drizzle the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture (not too quickly or you'll cook the yolks).
8. Whisk in the vanilla.
9. Pour the custard mixture through a small sieve into the ramekins, filling each almost to the top.
10. Pull the oven rack out part way and set the baking dish on it. Carefully fill the baking dish with the boiled water until it comes about halfway up the ramekins. Do not splash any water into the ramekins.
11. Carefully slide the rack into the oven and let the custards cook for 35-40 minutes, until they are just barely set in the middle.
12. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack or hot pads. Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, remove them from the baking dish. Once they reach room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap, gently pressing the plastic onto the surface of the custard, and chill them in the fridge for at least four hours or up to 3 days.
13. You can make the caramelized sugar crust one of two ways:
14. 1. Use a kitchen torch: Evenly sprinkle each ramekin (cold, straight from the fridge) with 1 teaspoon sugar. Hold the torch 3-4" above the ramekins, aiming it straight down, and slowly torch the sugar until it's a dark brown liquid. It will quickly set into a crunchy topping.
15. 2. Use a skillet: Melt 4 teaspoons sugar in a small skillet over medium heat. Once it starts to melt, you can use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir it until it becomes a golden brown liquid caramel. Carefully pour about 1 teaspoon over each custard. Gently swirl each ramekin so the caramel spreads to an even layer and let it set into a crunchy topping.