Breakfast Ideas: Crème Brûlée Doughnuts with Vanilla Custard
Crème Brûlée Doughnuts are the mischievous cousin of your classic breakfast pastries. We’re talking golden, airy doughnuts filled to the brim with smooth vanilla custard and topped with a caramelized sugar crust that cracks when you bite it—like a sugar glass ceiling you get to smash. That first bite? Yeah, it’s the good kind of trouble.
We all need a few breakfast ideas that make mornings feel less like a meeting and more like a reward. These doughnuts hit that sweet spot—literally. Think Easy vanilla cupcakes but breakfast-style, or a Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with a little edge. I made a batch on a rainy Tuesday, and suddenly that Tuesday felt like a holiday. My partner even said, "Are we opening a bakery or just flexing?" Guilty on both counts.
So whether you're browsing through recipes and cooking ideas on a lazy Sunday or trying to add some sparkle to your Sugar Free Lunch Ideas (yes, irony alert), this is the Quick And Healthy Breakfast detour that’s unapologetically sweet. Make it. Eat it. Brûlée it again just for fun.
Servings: 12 doughnuts
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup whole milk, warm
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup granulated sugar (for topping)
- 1 batch vanilla pastry cream (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and let it sit until foamy. That’s the yeast saying, 'I’m awake.'
- Stir in warm milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and softened butter. Mix until combined.
- Gradually add flour and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead until smooth and stretchy.
- Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled—about an hour. This is a good time to scroll recipes and cooking ideas.
- Punch down the dough, roll it out, and cut circles using a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass. Let them rest while you heat the oil.
- Heat oil in a deep pot to 350°F. Fry doughnuts in small batches until golden, flipping halfway through.
- Cool on a rack. Poke a hole in the side of each doughnut and pipe in vanilla pastry cream until the doughnut feels full.
- For the brûlée topping, dip the tops in sugar and carefully torch until golden and glassy. Try not to eat them all immediately. No promises.