You’ve heard of the classic crème brûlée, but have you heard of lemon crème brûlée? If not, prepare to be amazed! These lemon crème brûlée cookies are fresh, fruity and all round perfection! A buttery lemon cookie is topped with a swirl of fresh lemon curd with a brûlée top. Unbelievably vegan, no-egg, no-dairy and easy to make!
Vegan Lemon Crème Brûlée Cookies
I love turning my favourite flavours into something new and exciting. It’s spring so that means one thing… IT’S LEMON SEASON! These soft and buttery Lemon Brûlée Cookies have fresh lemon zest, are topped with a swirl of the BEST vegan lemon curd then finished with a sprinkle of sugar and torched for that classic brûlée touch. Lemons lovers will absolutely adore this recipe!
If you’re looking for more Lemon recipe, check out my Vegan Lemon Tiramisu, Vegan Lemon Curd Sheet Cake, Vegan Lemon Sweet Rolls, Vegan Lemon Bakewell Bars and Vegan Lemon Possett.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Fun to make.
- Vegan friendly.
- Super fresh and fruity.
- Has a zesty kick.
- Cookie is perfectly chewy.
- Easy to make.
- Fun to male.
- Topped with the most delicious vegan lemon curd.
- Egg-free lemon curd recipe.
- Has a crunchy sugar brûlée topping.
Ingredients for the crème cookies
- Lemons – Use unwaxed lemons as you’ll be using the zest in the cookie.
- Coconut milk – the thick white cream from a can of coconut cream.
- Caster sugar – Use a fine, white sugar.
- Cornflour / cornstarch – This helps to thicken the lemon curd.
- Turmeric – You can use this or a drop of yellow food gel to give the lemon curd a nice summer lemon / yellow colour.
- Dairy-free butter – Room temperature is easier to work with.
- Dairy-free milk – You can use any dairy-free milk including almond, oat, soya and cashew for example.
- Plain flour – All purpose / plain flour is great for making cookies. Sieve before use.
- Baking powder – Helps make for a super fluffy cookie.
- Bicarbonate of soda – Raising agent for the cookie.
- Granulated sugar – Works amazing for the brûlée topping.
How to make Vegan Lemon Brulee Cookies
You’ll have a blast making these fresh and zingy cookies. Find the full written recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can also click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the page.
- Make the lemon curd
Add all of the lemon curd ingredients into a medium sized saucepan, and heat. Stir to prevent sticking. it will thicken. Once thick, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Cookie prep
Rub the sugar and lemon zest together, add into a bowl with the butter and milk. Cream to combine. Add in the rest of the cookie ingredient and mix until a cookie dough is formed. Roll into 45g balls, place on a lined baking tray and bake until golden. Allow to cool.
- Swirl the lemon curd
Transfer the lemon curd into a piping bag fitted with a medium size round tip nozzle, pipe a swirl of curd to the top of each cookie. Place into the fridge for 5 minutes.
- Torch the tops
Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar to the top of each cookie, over the lemon curd. Use a kitchen blow torch to toast the tops until golden and smelling toasty.
- Serve
Allow the brûlée top to cool then serve and enjoy!
Brûlée Cookies FAQ
Where do I use a kitchen blow torch?
- I have linked the one I use here.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
- You sure can. Simple switch out the wheat based flour for a gluten-free flour. Make sure it’s of good quality.
Why lemon curd is too thick?
- If the curd is too thick ones it’s finished cooling, you can bring it back to it’s smooth and creamy consistency by vigorously whisking it up
How did you get your cookies so round?
- The cookies actually bake and hold their round shape, but to make sure they all match and are neat, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot them into a perfectly circular shape.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram , TikTok and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
PrintVegan Lemon Brûlée Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Lemon Crème Brûlée Cookies – A buttery lemon cookie, with a swirl of fresh, zesty lemon curd with a brûlée top! Delicious!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the lemon curd
- 80g of lemon juice (from fresh lemons)
- 125g of coconut milk (the white cream from a can of coconut milk)
- 125g of caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons of cornflour / cornstarch
- Pinch of turmeric (or yellow food gel)
Ingredients for the cookie
- 115g of dairy-free butter (cubed / softened)
- 140g of caster sugar
- Zest of 2 medium unwaxed lemons
- 30ml of dairy-free milk
- 210g of all purpose / plain flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Ingredients for the brûlée topping
- 30g of granulated sugar
Instructions
Method (lemon curd)
- Drain the clear liquid from a can of coconut milk, as you only want to use the thick white cream. Add all of the lemon curd ingredients into a medium sized saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (this will take around 5 minutes). Stirring with a heat proof spatula or whisk will prevent any sticking and burning, and will remove any clumps.
- Once the mixture is thick and glossy, remove from the heat. Once cool, give it a rigorous stir and transfer into a piping bag. If the curd thickens too much, add a squeeze more lemon juice and whisk vigorously until creamy.
Method (cookies)
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest into a bowl, rub together using your fingertips. Add into a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment along with the butter. Whip with a hand mixer or the stand mixer until light and creamy.
- Add the milk. Whip again until combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda. Mix until just combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 45g balls using spoons or an ice-cream scoop.
- Optional step – Sprinkle some caster or granulated sugar over the cookies before baking.
- Place the cookies on the lined tray (leave the dough in balls, don’t press them down!), leaving room in between as they will spread when baking.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Once baked, remove the trays from the oven, use a round cookie cutter to help shape the cookies. Use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot the cookies into a circle.
- Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking tray / cooling rack. They’ll be soft when first out the oven but will crisp up.
Method (brûlée topping)
- Once the cookies are cool, pipe a swirl of the lemon curd to the tops of the cookies. Not too much, but enough for each cookie to have a nice swirl of curd.
- Coat the lemon curd with a sprinkle of granulated sugar, appropriately 1/2 tablespoon per cookie.
- Use a kitchen blowtorch to brûlée the top of each cooke until they’re golden, smelling toasty and amazing!!!! Be very careful doing this step.
- Allow them to cool for 5 minutes as the sugar will be VERY hot!
- Tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Keep the cookies fresh in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Its best to store the cookies and lemon curd separate then decorate and brûlée day of serving for the ultimate crunch of the sugar topping and best results.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Category: cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American