Where are my fellow low-key pyromaniacs? ;) Can you ever go *wrong* with sugar cookies? Pretty sure there’s not really a time of year they don’t work as a dessert that everyone loves! These cookies are my favorites – I love the deeper flavors the brown sugar and cream cheese gives them, and the cream cheese keeps they from getting too dry! You can up the flour a bit if your chilling time is limited, so 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 brulee torch, and the caramelized sugar adds a fun texture and caramelized crunch to the tops of the cookies. Enjoy!
Creme Brulee Cookies!
36 cookies
1 hr
Light coating of frosting, sprinkle of sugar....
then grab your torch and caramelize the tops of the cookies!
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Tutorial video! (less than 30 seconds long!) ;)
Creme Brulee Cookies!
Recipe details
Ingredients
Cookies
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (or 1 ½ sticks) room temperature
- 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
Decorating supplies
- 1/2 cup buttercream / butter-based frosting
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar (granulated will work, it's just slower to melt & more prone to burn. You can find baker's sugar in grocery stores, buy it here online, or make your own by putting granulated sugar in a food processor.
- Brulee torch (a high-powered lighter will work but you're much more likely to burn yourself)
Instructions
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 at room temperature, up to 10 in the fridge, and can be frozen for 2-3 months!
Decorating
- When you’re ready to decorate, I recommend a quick watch through the video for reference! Basically, you want a thin layer of frosting down so that the sugar sticks to the top of the cookie and doesn’t burn. I used my favorite Cream Cheese buttercream recipe (IntensiveCakeUnit.com/favorite-cream-cheese-buttercream-frosting), though you'd only need about 1/4 batch for this recipe!) You can also buy frosting - any cream or butter-based frosting will work here!
- 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 brulee 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! Allow to cool until the sugar hardens – then enjoy!
Tips
- Add an extra 1/2 - 3/4 cup of flour if you don't have 1+ hours to chill your dough before baking! I also often transfer the dough to a plastic-covered baking tray and flatten it out so it chills faster.

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Published January 28th, 2021 3:24 PM
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