Creme Brulee Cookies!

Intensive Cake Unit
by Intensive Cake Unit
36 cookies
1 hr

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!

Light coating of frosting, sprinkle of sugar....

then grab your torch and caramelize the tops of the cookies!

Tutorial video! (less than 30 seconds long!) ;)

Recipe details
  • 36  cookies
  • Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 1 hr
Show Nutrition Info
Hide Nutrition Info
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.
Intensive Cake Unit
Want more details about this and other recipes? Check out more here!
Go
Comments
Next