Creme Brulee Cookies
These creme brulee cookies pair a soft, buttery vanilla base with a tangy brown sugar cream cheese topping and a glassy torched sugar shell that cracks like a real custard.
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer - For creaming the butter and whipping the topping
- Stainless steel mixing bowls - One large bowl for the dough and a separate bowl for the dry ingredients
- Measuring cups and spoons - Or a kitchen scale for accuracy
- Half sheet baking pans - Two pans, light-colored for even baking
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat - For lining the baking sheets
- Cookie scoop - About 1 ½ tablespoons, for evenly sized dough balls
- Wire cooling rack - For cooling the cookies completely
- Offset spatula or piping bag and tips - For spreading or piping the topping
- Kitchen torch - Essential for caramelizing the sugar topping; a broiler can stand in but is harder to control
- Heatproof, flame-safe surface - A metal sheet pan or stone trivet to torch on
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter - 226g, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar - 200g
- 1 large egg - at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract - or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste for deeper flavor
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour - 313g, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the brown sugar cream cheese topping
- 8 oz cream cheese - 226g, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - 57g, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar - 100g, packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt - a pinch
For the brûlée finish
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar - about 70g, for torching, roughly 1 teaspoon per cookie
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set out the butter, egg, and cream cheese ahead of time so they come to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Beat in the egg until fully combined, then add the vanilla extract and mix again until the batter looks smooth and slightly glossy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, mixing on low just until no dry streaks remain.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls about 1 ½ tablespoons each, placing them on the lined sheets with at least 2 inches between each one and only 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look puffed but still pale. Do not wait for them to brown.
- Let the cookies rest on the hot pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool fully, about 20 minutes, before adding the topping.
- In a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth, then add the brown sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whip on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is no longer grainy.
- Spread or pipe a generous, fairly flat layer of topping onto each cooled cookie, leaving a small border around the edge so it does not drip when torched.
- Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar evenly over each topping, then hold a torch a few inches above and move it in slow passes until the sugar melts, bubbles, and turns amber. Work in two light passes and let the sugar harden for a minute or two before serving.
Notes
- Cool the cookies all the way: Frosting warm cookies makes the topping slide off. Wait until they are completely at room temperature.
- Use room-temperature dairy: Cold cream cheese and butter leave lumps that never fully smooth out, even with long whipping.
- Pack the brown sugar: Press it firmly into the measuring cup; loosely measured brown sugar gives a weaker caramel flavor.
- Torch just before serving: The sugar shell is at its crispest within the first hour, then slowly softens as it absorbs moisture from the topping.
- Keep the flame moving: A still flame burns one spot black while leaving the rest raw. Slow, steady passes give an even amber color.
- Work on a heatproof surface: Torch over a metal sheet pan or a stone trivet, never directly on a countertop.
- Granulated sugar sets best: It caramelizes into a cleaner, glassier shell than powdered or raw sugar, which tend to clump or scorch unevenly.
- Make-ahead: Bake and frost up to a day ahead and keep chilled, then add the sugar and torch within an hour of serving.
- Storage: Store frosted and torched cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days because of the cream cheese topping.
- Freezing: Freeze plain, unfrosted baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze scooped dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
- No torch? Run the sugared cookies under a hot broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching constantly, since the sugar goes from melted to burnt in seconds.
Nutrition
Serving: 1CookieCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 130mgSugar: 21g
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