Description
Lemon creme brulee cookies bring pure sunshine to your dessert plate with their creamy filling and crisp caramelized surface. Cracking through that golden sugar shell reveals a tangy, smooth center that makes your taste buds dance with delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large egg yolks
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Finishing Ingredients:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold milk/cream
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Whip 1 cup softened butter with 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Incorporate 1 large egg, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 1 tbsp lemon zest, blending thoroughly.
- Sift 2 ½ cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt together. Gradually fold dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined. Refrigerate dough for 1-3 hours to firm up.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Form chilled dough into 1-inch balls, rolling each in extra sugar. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, gently pressing a small indent into center of each.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden edges appear. Transfer to wire rack and allow complete cooling.
- Combine 4 egg yolks with ⅓ cup sugar in a bowl. Warm 1 ½ cups heavy cream with ½ tsp vanilla and salt until steaming.
- Slowly stream hot cream into egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent scrambling. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring continuously until custard thickens.
- Strain custard and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until fully chilled and set.
- Carefully pipe chilled custard into cookie centers. Refrigerate assembled cookies for 30 minutes to set.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp granulated sugar over each cookie’s custard surface. Use kitchen torch to caramelize sugar until deep golden and crisp.
- Serve cookies immediately to maintain crunchy caramel topping.
Notes
- Chill the dough thoroughly to prevent spreading and ensure a thick, chewy cookie texture.
- Use fresh lemon zest for the brightest, most vibrant citrus flavor in your cookies.
- When tempering egg yolks, pour the warm cream slowly and whisk constantly to prevent scrambling.
- A kitchen torch works best for caramelizing the sugar topping, but a broiler can work in a pinch – just watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 54 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 74 mg