Description
These Lemon Crème Brûlée Cookies combine a soft, lemon-scented cookie base with a rich, creamy lemon pastry cream filling topped with a perfectly caramelized brûlée sugar crust. They offer a delightful balance of tangy citrus and sweet custard textures, ideal for an elegant dessert or teatime treat.
Ingredients
Scale
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 Coating
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
Cookie Dough
- 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
Brûlée Topping
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar (for caramelizing)
Instructions
- Heat Milk: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling. Reduce heat to low and keep warm for later use.
- Whisk Egg Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, salt, vanilla bean paste, and cornstarch until the mixture is pale yellow and smooth.
- Temper Eggs: Gradually whisk in 1/4 of the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper, then slowly add the remaining milk while stirring constantly to prevent curdling.
- Cook Pastry Cream: Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously for 8-12 minutes until the pastry cream thickens and soft peaks form when lifted with a whisk.
- Finish Pastry Cream: Remove from heat and stir in butter cubes until smooth. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap directly on its surface to prevent skin formation, then chill until cold.
- Prepare Lemon Sugar: Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest in a small bowl; set aside for coating the cookies.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and 1 cup sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg, vanilla bean paste, and lemon zest on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients on low speed just until the dough forms, avoiding overmixing.
- Form and Coat Dough Balls: Scoop dough into large balls, then roll each ball in the prepared lemon sugar mixture until evenly coated.
- Arrange and Flatten: Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets and slightly flatten each cookie with your palm or fingers.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes until the edges are set but centers remain soft. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Use a cookie cutter if desired to perfect the shape.
- Pipe Pastry Cream: Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the chilled lemon pastry cream and pipe a dollop onto the center of each cooled cookie.
- Caramelize Sugar Topping: Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar evenly over each filled cookie. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until golden brown and fragrant.
- Final Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes after torching to let the sugar topping harden. Serve immediately to enjoy the crisp brûlée topping and prevent sogginess.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon zest for the brightest lemon flavor.
- Make sure the pastry cream is fully chilled before piping to avoid melting the cookie’s surface.
- If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can briefly broil the sugar topping in the oven but watch closely to avoid burning.
- For best texture, avoid overbaking the cookies to keep them soft-centered.
- The pastry cream can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated covered with plastic wrap.
