Description
These Lemon Crème Brûlée Cookies combine soft, chewy lemon sugar cookies with a rich and creamy lemon pastry cream center topped with caramelized sugar. Perfect for lemon lovers, these cookies offer a delightful contrast of textures and flavors, featuring buttery cookie bases, tangy pastry cream, and a crisp brûlée sugar topping.
Ingredients
Lemon Pastry Cream
- 2 1/4 cups (540 ml) whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (225 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 1/2 tbsp (28 g) cornstarch
- 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, cut in cubes
Lemon Sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
Lemon Sugar Cookies
- 2 3/4 cups (344 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for the brûlée topping)
Instructions
- Heat the Milk: In a medium saucepan, warm the milk over medium-low heat until steaming, then lower heat to keep it warm.
- Whisk Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, salt, vanilla bean paste, and cornstarch until smooth and pale yellow.
- Temper the Egg Mixture: Gradually add one-quarter of the warm milk to the egg mixture while stirring vigorously, then slowly incorporate the rest of the milk.
- Cook Pastry Cream: Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8-12 minutes, whisking constantly until thick and soft peaks form.
- Add Butter and Chill: Remove from heat, stir in the butter cubes until combined, cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming, and refrigerate until fully chilled.
- Prepare Lemon Sugar: Combine sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and set aside for coating the cookies.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Dry Ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Egg and Flavorings: Mix in the egg, vanilla bean paste, and lemon zest on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed until the dough just comes together.
- Form and Coat Cookies: Scoop large balls of dough, roll into balls, then coat each in the prepared lemon sugar. Place on prepared cookie sheets and slightly flatten each ball.
- Bake Cookies: Bake 6 cookies at a time for 9-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a cookie cutter to shape perfect circles while warm.
- Assemble Cookies: Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with chilled pastry cream. Pipe pastry cream onto each cooled cookie.
- Brûlée Sugar Topping: Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the pastry cream on each cookie. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until golden brown and aromatic.
- Final Cooling and Serving: Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes after brûléeing and serve immediately to avoid sogginess.
Notes
- Add the pastry cream topping only right before serving to prevent cookies from becoming soggy.
- Use fresh lemon zest for best flavor and aroma.
- If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can briefly broil the sugar, but watch closely to prevent burning.
- Make sure to chill the pastry cream thoroughly for a firm texture.
- Store assembled cookies in the refrigerator if not serving immediately.
