Name: Creme Brulee Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted; 2/3 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling and dipping; 2 large egg yolks (whites reserved for another use); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cups (152 grams) all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 individual cups of store-bought ready-made refrigerated vanilla pudding (about 8 ounces total)

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If you don’t bake often but need an impressive cookie to make, this is the recipe for you! These Creme Brulee Cookies look fancy, but they’re really just basic sugar cookies topped with instant pudding and a sprinkling of sugar. Torch the tops until they’re golden brown and crispy, and serve immediately.

Torched creme brulee cookies on a wire rack.

It’s part cookie, part rich dessert, and you’re going to love them!

These creme brulee cookies are so impressive on a cookie tray, but no one has to know how easy they are to make! A basic sugar cookie recipe made with melted butter comes together in one bowl in just minutes. Then, use a box of instant pudding to make the custard topping. Simply dip in sugar and torch with a culinary torch, and they’re ready to go!

The recipe that I’ve made the most on my site is my easy sugar cookies. I make them often because they use melted butter, which is so much easier than waiting for butter to soften to the perfect temperature on the counter.

If you can stir together a box of instant pudding and you own a culinary torch, you can make this!

Stack of creme brulee cookies with bite missing from top cookie.

The Ingredients

Bowl of eggs, pudding mix, sugar and flour.

Butter. One stick (4 ounces) of unsalted butter. We’re going to melt it, so it can be frozen or refrigerated.
Sugar. We need 2/3 cup (140 grams) of granulated sugar for the cookie dough, plus plenty of extra for sprinkling on top of the finished cookies to torch.
Eggs. For this creme brulee cookies recipe, we only need two egg yolks. Reserve the egg whites for another recipe, like my Forgotten Cookies.
Vanilla Extract. One full teaspoon of real vanilla extract. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste.
Flour. One and a quarter cups (152 grams) of all-purpose plain flour.
Baking Soda. We need one-half teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Instant Pudding. We need 8 ounces (about 1 cup) of ready-made pudding. Most commonly, I buy the individual vanilla pudding cups at the store (you will need roughly 3 single-serving cups for this recipe). However, you can also buy the box of instant pudding, make it according to the package instructions and chill it before using it in this recipe.

How to Make Creme Brulee Cookies

First, preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Melted butter, egg yolks and granulated sugar in a brown bowl.

Flour on top of melted butter in a brown bowl.

Stir together the stick of melted butter, 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 egg yolks, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir together very well.

Next, sprinkle the 1 1/4 cups (152 grams) of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the mixture. Mix just to combine.

Yellow dough scored in a bowl into 12 servings.

Three yellow dough balls rolling in sugar.

Press the sugar cookie dough flat in the bowl, and use a spatula to roughly divide it in half by eye. You should get 9 cookies from each half of the dough, for a total of 18 cookies.

Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough, roll in your hand to form a ball, and then roll in sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheet.

Horizontal image of freshly baked yellow cookies on a baking sheet.

Hand spreading pudding on top of cookies.

Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes. The tops should appear dry, and they will crack as they cool.

Use a spoon to evenly divide vanilla pudding on top of each cookie. Spread it flat, but be sure to leave a border.

Hand using culinary torch to toast tops of cookies.

Horizontal image of cookies with brown crispy crust.

Sprinkle each cookie with a heaping teaspoon of the extra granulated sugar, and use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown in several places.

These creme brulee cookies need to be served immediately, because the sugar crust softens over time.

Equipment Needed:

Culinary Torch – I recommend this culinary torch. It’s easy to use, and be sure to buy an extra can of butane for it. I don’t recommend trying to use the oven broiler instead of a kitchen torch. It will melt the pudding before the sugar can caramelize.
Cookie Sheet – I love this cookie sheet for baking cookies. It’s naturally non-stick, will not warp, and is made of light-colored aluminum so it has better heat distribution.

Macro shot of creme brulee sugar cookies on white surface.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

Because of the crispy sugar crust on the tops of these cookies, they need to be served quickly after being torched.

However, you can make the sugar cookie part ahead of time. Just before serving, dollop on the pudding mixture, and then torch it.

The raw cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Already baked sugar cookies can be stored flat in the freezer for up to 3 months, if tightly wrapped. Again, the pudding and torching part must be done right before serving.

Yield: 18