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These are the best creme brûlée cookies! They are chewy, buttery, soft sugar cookies with rich and creamy vanilla pastry cream topped with caramelized sugar.
If you're looking for another cookie recipe, try my lemon cheesecake cookies, pistachio cookies, cornflake oat cookies, chocolate cherry cookies, chewy peanut butter cookies or Oreo cheesecake cookies!
Why You'll Love These Crème Brûlée Cookies
They have the best texture- These are chewy sugar cookies with crispy edges.
They're topped with perfect vanilla pastry cream- I can't even tell you how good this is. So creamy, so vanilla-y, so lush!
They have the perfect flavor-The dough and pastry cream is flavored with lots of vanilla bean paste for the ultimate vanilla taste.
They're topped with crispy caramelized sugar- The best part of these cookies is cracking that perfectly caramelized sugar topping!
Ingredients for Creme Brulee Cookies
- Unsalted Butter- used in the cookie dough and pastry cream
- Granulated White Sugar- used to sweeten the cookies and pastry cream, and make the brûlée topping
- Eggs- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla- I highly recommend using vanilla bean paste for the best flavor instead of vanilla extract since vanilla is the main flavor component of creme brûlée!
- Milk- whole milk is used for the pastry cream
- Cornstarch- a little corn starch helps the pastry cream to thicken
- Flour- just the right amount of all purpose flour helps give these cookies their perfect texture
- Baking Powder- used to just slightly leaven these cookies
- Salt- brings out all the flavors in these cookies
Step by Step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including measurements and baking time!
STEP ONE: Make the pastry cream by heating the milk over medium-low heat just until it’s steaming. To a large bowl add the egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla and cornstarch and whisk until combined and a pale-yellow color. (It will be thick at first but will get smooth as you whisk.) Add in about ¼ of the heated milk while stirring vigorously.Then, add the rest in and stir to combine.
Transfer the mixture to the saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and cook for 8-12 minutes, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick and soft peaks form.Remove the pastry cream from heat. Add in the butter and mix to combine. Transfer it to a bowl and place plastic wrap right on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill it in the fridge until completely cold.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then set aside.
STEP THREE: In a large mixing bowl cream butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy, about two minutes. (You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)
STEP FOUR: Add in the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
STEP FIVE: Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
STEP SIX: Scoop the cookie dough with a large cookie scoop, then roll into balls. Add sugar to a small bowl, then roll each cookie dough ball in sugar.
STEP SEVEN: Place the dough on to parchment-lined cookie sheets and slightly flatten each ball. (Bake 6 cookies at a time.)
STEP EIGHT: Bake the cookies then let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
STEP NINE: Transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fit with a small circular tip. Once the cookies are cooled, pipe pastry cream on top of each cookie. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over each and use a kitchen torch to brûlée the sugar until it is golden brown and smells like roasted marshmallows. Yum!
Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes after torching, then enjoy! (Add the pastry cream on top only when you're ready to serve the cookies. The cookies do get soggy after a few hour so you'll want to enjoy them right away.)
FAQs
How do I store these cookies? I would recommend eating the cookies the same day you make them. If you plan to serve them the next day, wait to top them with the pastry cream. Store the sugar cookies in an airtight container. When ready to serve, pipe the pastry cream on top and brûlée the sugar.
Do I need to use a kitchen torch? Yes you do. The one I have is from Amazon. You can't just use an oven broiler because it will melt the pastry cream right off the cookies!
Pro Tips
For best results, measure your flour properly.This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, sprinkle spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams.
Whisk the pastry cream constantly while heating it. This will ensure the eggs don't scramble on you.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, scoot a circular cookie cutter around them to give them a perfect circular shape!
Make sure to beat your eggs into the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy, not just until it's combined. Doing this will help give you perfectly textured cookies.
Other Recipes to Try Next Time
White Chocolate Cheesecake
White Chocolate Cookies
Chantilly Cake
No Bake Cheesecake
If you make these cookies please, please leave a star rating! Tag me on Instagram@inbloombakery_and follow me onPinterestalso for other dessert ideas!
📖 Recipe
Creme Brûlée Cookies
These are the best creme brûlée cookies! They are chewy, buttery, soft sugar cookies with rich and creamy vanilla pastry cream topped with caramelized sugar.
5 from 39 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 9 minutes mins
Assembly Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 59 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 ¼ cups (540 ml) whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon (225 g) granulated white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 3 ½ tablespoon (28 g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon (42 g) unsalted butter, cut in cubes
For the Sugar Cookies
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour,spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for rolling the dough in)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for the brulee topping)
Instructions
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat just until it’s steaming. Then, turn heat down to low until ready to use.
2 ¼ cups (540 ml) whole milk
To a large bowl add the egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla and cornstarch and whisk until combined and a pale-yellow color. (It will be thick at first but will get smooth as you whisk.)
6 egg yolks, 1 cup + 2 tablespoon (225 g) granulated white sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste, 3 ½ tablespoon (28 g) cornstarch
Add in ¼ of the heated milk while stirring vigorously.Then, add the rest in and stir to combine.
Transfer the mixture to the saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and cook for 8-12 minutes, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick and soft peaks form.
Remove the pastry cream from the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Add in the butter and mix to combine. Place plastic wrap right on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill it in the fridge until completely cold.
3 tablespoon (42 g) unsalted butter, cut in cubes
For the Sugar Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then set aside.
2 ½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour,spooned and leveled, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
In a large bowl cream together the butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about two minutes.
(You can also use a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)
1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated white sugar, 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
Add in the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
1 egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
Scoop the dough into balls with a large cookie scoop. Roll into balls.
Add sugar to a small bowl, then roll each cookie dough ball in sugar.
½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for rolling the dough in)
Place the dough on to parchment-lined cookie sheets and slightly flatten each ball. (Bake 6 cookies at a time.)
Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, then let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Assembling the Cookies
Transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fit with a small circular tip. Once the cookies are cooled, pipe pastry cream on top of each cookie.
Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over each and use a kitchen torch to brûlée the sugar until it is golden brown and smells like roasted marshmallows. Yum!
½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for the brulee topping)
Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes after torching, then enjoy!
(Add the pastry cream on top only when you're ready to serve the cookies. The cookies do get soggy after a few hour so you'll want to enjoy them right away.)
Keyword chewy cookies, Cookies, creme brulee, creme brulee cookies
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