Vegan Eggnog Creme Caramel

For Eric's Birthday I always ask him if he wants me to make him a cake or some sort of dessert.  Because he has the biggest sweet tooth I know, and I am always happy to make one!  In past years it has always been cake, but this year he said he wanted a creme caramel with cinnamon and bourbon.  I thought to myself, that kind of sounds like eggnog, so it would be perfect for this time of the year too!  I was totally game to try making some!  I have never actually made a creme caramel before.  Well, a non raw traditionally cooked one with thickening agents at least. I made a raw pumpkin one in the past but that was different because I just used coconut butter to thicken it.  I wanted these to taste as traditional as possible.  So, I looked at many recipes online to see how other people made them, and then made one with the best concepts combined.

I wanted to make these without refined white sugar, so I made them with maple sugar.  The maple flavor is so delicious with the ingredients in this as well, so it was perfect! I will admit, I was a bit intimidated when I started this because I was concerned about the caramel not being the right texture and the custards not setting and whatnot, but I went for it.  The caramel part turned out good, and made my kitchen smell like a maple syrup factory!  So then it was time for the custards.  First off, I tried making them with coconut milk and a little cashew butter mixed in because I thought it would make them richer and less coconutty tasting.  Well, it worked...sort of.  They turned out a bit lumpy and cracked, with a little bit of an odd texture not smooth but ended up tasting good.  I did not consider that a win however even though they tasted good because I wanted them to be perfect for Eric's Birthday (and because I am kind  of a perfectionist when it comes to making things for people), so I tried making the custard again, only with just coconut milk and no cashew butter this time.

The second round came out perfect!  Nice and smooth, with a good flavor.  I had added a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and bourbon and they tasted just like eggnog. You couldn't really taste the coconut.  I crossed my fingers as I un-molded them because I was afraid that they might crack.  But they all came out really nicely and I was super happy with them!  But the most important thing was that Eric liked them!  These are an easy dessert to make, and it can be done ahead of time, so they would be the perfect dessert for a Holiday meal!

Vegan Eggnog Creme Caramel
Makes 4

Ingredients:

4 1 cup ramekins

Caramel:

• 1/4 cup of maple sugar
• 2 Tbsp filtered water
• 2 tsp bourbon

Custard:

• 1 3/4 cups full fat coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp maple sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp bourbon (make sure it is vegan on Barnivore)
• 3/4 tsp agar powder
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Set 4 one oz ramekins on a tray.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the maple sugar, bourbon and water and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until it begins to darken in color and all sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, and pour into  the bottoms of the ramekins.
3. To make the cream, combine the coconut milk, maple sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
4. Mix the bourbon with the vanilla, agar powder, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and then whisk into the hot coconut milk.  Whisk until just thickened, then pour into the prepared ramekins over the caramel.
5. Place the tray of ramekins in the refrigerator until chilled completely.  For at least 2 hours, or overnight.
6. Once the custards have set and you are ready to serve, place a plate on top of each one, then flip it over.  If they are sticking at all, run a knife along the sides to loosen being careful not to disturb the custard.
7. Enjoy!  Refrigerate any leftovers.