Easy Chocolate Pots de Crème

4.94 from 33 votes

Easy Chocolate Pots de Crème

This chocolate pots de crème recipe is the most luxurious (yet easy to make) dessert. Each spoonful is decadently rich and oh, so chocolatey! Watch how it comes together in the video below!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Chill Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Chocolate Pots de Creme, pots de creme

Servings: servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
5 large egg yolks
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

US - Metric

Instructions

Heat the cream. Add the heavy cream and milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until it just starts to simmer with bubbles along the edges, then remove from the heat.
Temper the eggs. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. While continuously whisking, very slowly pour half of the hot cream mixture into the bowl. Don't pour too fast or the eggs will curdle. Return the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and stir together over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, or until the custard is slightly thickened. Turn off the heat.
Add the chocolate. Add the chopped chocolate, espresso powder (if using), and salt to the custard. Let the chocolate melt for a minute, then whisk until it's completely smooth.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a separate bowl (or measuring bowl with a pour spout), to remove any clumps and bubbles.
Pour and chill. Pour the custard into six 4-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
Serve. When ready to serve, let the pots de crème stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, to soften slightly. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Video

Notes

Because I'm using semisweet chocolate (around 64%), there's no need for any extra sugar. If you prefer bittersweet chocolate (around 70%) I'd recommend whisking 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar (or any other granulated sugar) with the egg yolks before tempering with the hot cream.
If your pots de crème aren't firming up, it's because you didn't simmer the custard long enough on the stove before adding the chocolate. Two minutes on medium-low for me is perfect on a large burner, but if your heat is slightly lower or if you're using a smaller burner, you may need a bit more time. Always go by texture—the custard should change from more liquidy with bubbles (leftover from whisking), to creamier and slightly thickened with almost no bubbles. Make sure to also watch the video above, where you can see the thickness of the custard when I add the chocolate on top of it. Hope that helps!

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