Soft Baked Crème Brûlée Cookies (Printable)

Soft French-inspired cookies with creamy vanilla filling and signature caramelized sugar topping

# What You'll Need:

→ Cookies

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large egg yolks
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 2 tablespoons sour cream

→ Filling

09 - 3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
10 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

→ Caramelized Topping

12 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar

# Step-by-step:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
03 - Beat softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sour cream until fully combined.
04 - Gradually incorporate dry ingredients, mixing until soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a small bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy.
06 - Scoop 2 tablespoons cookie dough and flatten into a disc. Place 1 teaspoon cream cheese filling in center. Fold dough around filling and pinch to seal. Place seam side down on prepared sheet.
07 - Repeat with remaining dough and filling, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 11-13 minutes until edges are set but centers are soft. Cool on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
09 - Sprinkle thin, even layer of granulated sugar on each cooled cookie. Using kitchen torch, carefully brûlée sugar until golden and crisp. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The moment you break through that caramelized shell into soft vanilla cream is absolute magic
  • They look fancy but the dough comes together faster than you can preheat your oven
  • The torch step makes everyone feel like a pastry chef, even if you're barely comfortable in the kitchen
02 -
  • The sugar topping only caramelizes properly on completely cooled cookies, otherwise the cream melts and creates a weird texture
  • If you don't own a kitchen torch, the broiler works but you need to watch it like a hawk because sugar goes from perfect to burned in seconds
  • These cookies taste even better the next day as the flavors meld together, if you can manage to save any that long
03 -
  • Weighing your flour instead of using cup measurements will give you consistently better results
  • Chill the filled cookies for 15 minutes before baking if your dough feels too soft or sticky to work with

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