Where are my fellow Crème Brûlée lovers...?
Can you ever go *wrong* with Crème Brûlée - or with sugar cookies? Because I'm 99.9% sure there’s not really a time of year they don’t work as a dessert that everyone loves!
These cookies are my favorite sugar cookie of ALL time. I love the deeper flavors the brown sugar and cream cheese gives them, and the cream cheese keeps they from getting too dry! Since you can up the flour a bit and skip the chilling if your time is limited, these are my go-to if I don’t have tons of time!
You can always decorate these cookies just by icing them, buuut I use ANY and all excuses to bust out my brûlée torch, and the caramelized sugar adds a fun texture and caramelized crunch to the tops of the cookies. Enjoy!
Why make these Crème Brûlée cookies?
- Rich, delicious never-dry sugar cookie base
- Touch of butter and superfine sugar combine on top of the cookie to form an AMAZING caramelized crunchy bruleed layer!
- Honestly - much easier way to decorate cookies than piping them!
- You get to decorate with FIRE!! Let's not forget that one, lol.
FAQS
"Can I make these without a brûlée torch?"
You can! You can cover the tops of the cheesecakes with sugar, and place them in an oven on the broil setting - or I've even heard of people using a flamethrower or lighter! The downside is just that you'll have less control with those methods than you have with a brulee torch. So it may be harder to get an even caramelized coating without bits of it burning.
The torch I used and the butane fuel bottle (that's lasted over 4 years as I update this post) are still available on Amazon. Last time I price-checked (2023) you could buy both for less than $25!
(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)
Don't forget to pin for later!
Crème Brûlée Cookies
Equipment
- Brulee torch (or oven set to broil, but a torch is much easier! Depending on your torch you may also need butane fuel, available inexpensively online)
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
Crème Brulée cookies
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (or 1 ½ sticks, softened)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (3 ½ if your chilling time is limited)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Brulee topping
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup Baker’s Superfine sugar granulated sugar will kind of work, but it's harder to caramelize without burning. You can find it in some stores, buy it here on Amazon, or make your own by putting granulated sugar in a food processor.
Instructions
Crème Brulée cookies
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Mix in order given, beating cream cheese and butter together well before adding sugars. Chill 1-2 hours before rolling if time allows; if not add an extra ½ cup of flour to your dough.
- Roll out to about ¼ inch thick, and use extra flour when rolling or your dough will stick. I also recommend parchment paper or these silpat mats to keep your cookies from sticking to the baking sheets!
- Bake 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Cool completely before decorating.
- (Will keep 2-3 days well-wrapped at room temperature, up to 7 in the fridge before decorating.)
Brulée instructions
- (When you’re ready to decorate, I recommend a quick watch through the video for reference; it's less than a minute long!)
- Spread a thin layer of butter over the top of each cookie - so that the sugar will stick to the top of the cookie and caramelize rather than just burning the top of the cookie. (If you want a slightly sweeter cookie, spread a thin layer of frosting over each cookie before adding the sugar - here's my favorite Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.)
- Sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar evenly onto each cookie, and place on a heat-resistant surface like a plate or baking sheet. Light your brulée torch and evenly fire each cookie until the sugar melts and then crystallizes. I often do 3-4 at a time to save time/fuel and keep from burning them! Add additional sugar to any spots that are thin or starting to burn.
- Allow to cool until the caramelized sugar hardens – then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make these Crème brûlée Cookies?
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