Creme Brûlée Cookies
Creme brûlée cookies are inspired by the ever-popular French dessert, creme brûlée. They feature a crunchy, caramelized sugar topping over a perfectly sweet and creamy frosting.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 Package sugar cookie mix
- 4 Ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ Cup salted butter at room temperature, half a stick
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 12 Ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 5 Cups powdered sugar
- 1½ Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
For the Topping:
- ⅓ Cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar cookie mix, cream cheese, salted butter, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. The batter will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Using a 1½ Tablespoon cookie scoop, form cookie balls and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Gently flatten the balls into thick discs with clean fingers or the bottom of a glass. Keep in mind that the dough may stick so you may want to grease whatever you use to flatten them or use a square of parchment paper in between.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden on the edges and set in the middle.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. The frosting should be thick.
- If the frosting is overly thick, gradually beat in 1 or 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream, just until the frosting reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Cover and place the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to prepare the cookies.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cookies using a piping bag and a 1A Wilton tip or equivalently sized tip.
- Pour the granulated white sugar into a shallow dipping bowl and then press each frosted cookie top into the granulated sugar.
- Sprinkle an additional teaspoon of granulated white sugar onto one cookie and then brulee the top until golden brown and smooth. A butane kitchen torch works best for this.
- Repeat with each cookie until all have a bruleed top.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then serve.
Notes
Chill your frosting: This will help prevent it from melting off the tops of the cookies when you torch them.
Remember the extra sugar: If you don’t sprinkle extra sugar on top of the frosting after dipping it, it will look burnt, and the frosting is more likely to start sliding off the top of the cookies.
Check that the torch has enough butane: If it doesn’t, the flame may sputter as you try to get an even caramelization.
Use a medium flame: You want a medium torch flame so the sugar caramelizes quickly but doesn’t burn. Too low, and you won’t get a golden color, it’ll be hard for the sugar to caramelize without spots burning. Too high and you’ll burn the sugar in spots before you get an even caramelization.
Remember the extra sugar: If you don’t sprinkle extra sugar on top of the frosting after dipping it, it will look burnt, and the frosting is more likely to start sliding off the top of the cookies.
Check that the torch has enough butane: If it doesn’t, the flame may sputter as you try to get an even caramelization.
Use a medium flame: You want a medium torch flame so the sugar caramelizes quickly but doesn’t burn. Too low, and you won’t get a golden color, it’ll be hard for the sugar to caramelize without spots burning. Too high and you’ll burn the sugar in spots before you get an even caramelization.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 36mg | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 398IU | Vitamin C: 0.004mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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