Biscoff®️ Cookie Butter Flan

Flan is a ubiquitous dessert in Mexico. You see it at almost every restaurant. My husband and I just returned from a trip to Mexico City and I wanted to try my hand at one. This recipe was inspired by Chef Gabriela Camera’s Nutella Flan. Flan is essentially a baked custard that is topped with a caramel. There are many ways a flan can go wrong as it is such a simple dessert.

Some techniques I learned in culinary school that can be very helpful:

• Make the custard base first instead of the caramel. If left too long, the caramel can harden quickly and create a crystalline puck on the top of your flan. Yes, the baking will rewarm it slightly but we want to ensure that you get as much caramel sauce as possible

• Do not blend your custard base in the food processor for too long. You don’t want to create a ton of air bubbles. This will prevent your flan from getting that really dense, silken texture

• When checking for the doneness of a flan, you want it to “jiggle” not “ripple”. If it ripples, then it needs to be cooked longer

As I mentioned in my video, you can absolutely substitute the Biscoff Cookie Butter for Nutella. I wouldn’t use a nut butter because it may be too dense. I would be curious to see if someone tried making a Peanut Butter Flan with a sweeter, more processed peanut butter like Skippy Creamy. What other variations should I try in the future?

Ingredients for the Biscoff®️ Cookie Butter Flan

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons water

• 4 eggs, large

• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/12 cup whole milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 2/3 cup Biscoff®️ Cookie Butter

Special Equipment

• 9-inch cake pan (at least 2 1/2-inches deep)

• Pastry brush

• Sieve

• Large roasting pan

• Tea kettle

Serves 6-8

Directions for the Biscoff®️ Cookie Butter Flan

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Make sure you have a rack in the center of your oven.

2. To make the custard for the flan, combine the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla bean paste and Biscoff Cookie Butter to a food processor. Blend for no more than 30 seconds to avoid any unnecessary air bubbles. Set aside while you make the caramel.

3. In a small sauce pan, bring the sugar and water up to a simmer over medium high heat. Give it one good whisk in the beginning of the cooking process. Please, for the love of God, do not walk away from the stove at any point while making caramel. It can sense weakness.

4. While the caramel bubbles away, you can use a wet pastry brush to wipe away any of the sugar that sticks to the side of the sauce pan. Continue to cook until it turns golden yellow, we are not going for any brown color.

5. Place your cake pan into the roasting pan. Pour the caramel into the 9-inch cake pan. Using a small strainer, pour the custard into the cake pan on top of the caramel. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water about halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Bake for one hour. At the one hour mark, if your flan is still “rippling”, continue to bake in ten minute increments, checking after each increment has passed.

6. Remove the flan from the oven. Cover with more aluminum foil. Place onto your serving dish and chill in the fridge for three hours, if not, overnight. Using a thin, flexible knife, cut around the edges of the flan to free it from the cake pan. Place your serving dish on top and then flip it over. Slice, plate with more caramel, and enjoy!