Description
Creamy, buttery creme brûlée sugar cookies topped with rich vanilla pastry cream and caramelized sugar for a perfect soft and chewy treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk (540 ml)
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated white sugar (225 g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (28 g)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in cubes (42 g)
Sugar Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (313 g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar (250 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (224 g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar (for rolling the dough in) (100 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar (for the brûlée topping) (100 g)
Instructions
- Prepare Vanilla Pastry Cream: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla bean paste, and cornstarch until smooth and pale yellow. Slowly add about 1/4 of the warm milk while whisking vigorously, then add the remaining milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously for 8-12 minutes until thick and soft peaks form. Remove from heat, stir in butter cubes until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap directly on surface and chill completely in fridge.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on high speed for about 2 minutes until fluffy and pale.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla bean paste on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until dough comes together and no flour streaks remain.
- Shape Cookies: Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheets, slightly flattening each ball. Bake 6 cookies at a time for even spacing.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 9-10 minutes, until the edges are set but cookies remain soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Assemble Cookies: Fill a piping bag with the chilled vanilla pastry cream fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a generous dollop of pastry cream onto each cooled cookie.
- Caramelize Sugar Topping: Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the pastry cream on each cookie. Using a kitchen torch, brûlée the sugar until golden brown and caramelized, smelling like roasted marshmallows.
- Final Cooling and Serving: Allow the torched sugar to cool and harden for about 10 minutes before serving. For best texture, assemble pastry cream topping right before serving to prevent sogginess.
Notes
- Ensure the milk is hot but not boiling when adding to the egg mixture to prevent curdling.
- Place plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to avoid skin formation while chilling.
- Roll dough balls thoroughly in sugar to achieve a sparkling crust on cookies.
- Bake cookies in small batches for even cooking and spacing.
- Use a kitchen torch for the brûlée effect; if unavailable, broiling briefly can be an alternative but requires close attention.
- Assemble cookies with pastry cream just before serving to keep cookies from becoming soggy.
- Store pastry cream in airtight container in fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
