Name: Crème Brûlée Cookies
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT4H40M0.000S
Yield: about 32 cookies
Ingredients: One 8-ounce block full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature; 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2/3 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note); Nonstick cooking spray; 2 1/4 cups whole milk; 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling; 6 large egg yolks; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract; 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Directions

Special equipment:

a kitchen torch

For the shortbread: Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until fully combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the sugar, vanilla and salt on medium speed until light in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly mix in the flour on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. The cookie dough should be thick and a bit sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and the dough firms, about 1 hour.
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides and lightly spray the parchment.
Break small chunks of chilled dough off and place in the prepared baking pan. Cover the dough with a layer of plastic wrap and press the dough down evenly into the pan. Lift off the wrap and bake until the cookie is golden on the top and brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside in the pan to cool slightly.
For the pastry cream: Combine the milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the milk simmers and the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until smooth. While continually whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture and whisk until smooth. (This is called tempering, and it will prevent the yolks from scrambling.) Continue whisking and adding 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture at a time until completely combined and smooth.
Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and the texture of pudding, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter until smooth and glossy. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Pour the warm pastry cream over the warm shortbread crust in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Lift the cookies out of the pan using the parchment overhang as handles. Remove the plastic wrap and parchment. Cut the cookies into about thirty-two 1-by-3-inch bars. Transfer some onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet leaving 2 inches between each bar. Evenly sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar over the top of each cookie. Use a kitchen torch to brown the top of each until the sugar is bubbling, about 15 seconds per cookie. Leave to cool until the sugar has hardened, about 1 minute. Repeat the same process with the remaining bars or as many as you’d like to prepare. Serve immediately while the sugar is hard (see Cook’s Note). Remaining bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days and caramelized just before serving.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) The caramelized sugar on top will soften as it sits, so it’s best to brown only as many bars as you want to serve immediately. You can also sprinkle more sugar on top of a bar and torch it again to get the crunchy layer.

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