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Pudding Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 94 reviews

These Pudding Cookies are soft, moist, and bursting with rich flavors from a luscious vanilla bean custard buttercream, sticky toffee sauce, and chewy brown sugar date cookies. The recipe includes making a creamy pastry custard frosting, a decadent toffee sauce, and spiced date-infused cookies, all baked to perfection and assembled into irresistible desserts perfect for sharing or indulgent treats.

Ingredients

Scale

Vanilla Bean Custard Buttercream

  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
  • 3 tbsp (24 g) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes (for the pastry cream)
  • 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (for the frosting)
  • pinch of salt

Toffee Sauce

  • 1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 6 tbsp (84 g) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream (double cream)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • pinch of salt

Brown Sugar Date Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (100 g) Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped (6–9 dates depending on size)
  • 1/3 cup (113 g) unsulphured molasses (or black treacle)
  • 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  1. Make the Vanilla Bean Custard Buttercream: Measure 3/4 cup milk, set aside 1 tbsp, then in a large bowl whisk the reserved 1 tbsp milk with egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and pale yellow. The mixture will start thick but smooths out as you whisk.
  2. Heat Milk: Warm the remaining milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling.
  3. Temper Egg Mixture: Slowly pour 1/4 of the warm milk into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Add the rest of the milk and combine well.
  4. Cook Custard: Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously for 6-8 minutes until very thick and soft peaks form. If the mixture gets too hot and lumps form, remove from heat, whisk vigorously, and return to heat to finish cooking.
  5. Finish Pastry Cream: Remove from heat and stir in cold butter cubes until smooth. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold.
  6. Prepare Frosting Base: In a large bowl, beat 3/4 cup softened butter with a pinch of salt on high speed for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
  7. Combine Custard and Butter: Add chilled pastry cream to the creamed butter and mix on medium speed until smooth. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to use.
  8. Make Toffee Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt 6 tbsp butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until bubbly and fully combined.
  9. Add Cream and Finish Sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low, whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream, and simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt. Let sauce cool to room temperature.
  10. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  11. Prepare Date Mixture: Pit and roughly chop dates, then blend in a food processor with molasses until completely smooth and sticky.
  12. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
  13. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  14. Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, and date/molasses mixture on medium speed until fluffy and combined.
  15. Add Dry Ingredients: On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. The dough will be soft initially; let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to firm up as the flour absorbs moisture.
  16. Shape Cookies: Scoop dough with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, roll into balls, then roll each in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets and slightly flatten into circles.
  17. Bake: Bake cookies in batches of 6-8 for 10-11 minutes. After baking, let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Use a large circular cookie cutter to perfect the shape while warm.
  18. Cool Cookies: Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
  19. Assemble Cookies: Rewhip the frosting on high speed until fluffy. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe onto cooled cookies.
  20. Drizzle Toffee Sauce: Drizzle the cooled toffee sauce over the frosted cookies.
  21. Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be refrigerated (bring to room temperature before serving) or frozen for up to one month if stored airtight.

Notes

  • Rest the cookie dough for 10 minutes before baking to allow flour to absorb liquids and make dough easier to handle.
  • Keep plastic wrap directly on the custard surface to prevent a skin from forming while chilling.
  • Use a food processor to fully blend the dates and molasses for a smooth, sticky mixture.
  • The toffee sauce will thicken as it cools but can be gently reheated if needed before drizzling.
  • Scooting a cookie cutter around freshly baked cookies helps achieve a perfect round shape.
  • Butter and eggs should be at room temperature for best creaming and mixing results.
  • For best flavor, use vanilla bean paste instead of extract.
  • Store cookies airtight to maintain freshness and texture.

Keywords: Pudding Cookies, custard buttercream, toffee sauce, date cookies, soft cookies, dessert cookies, homemade cookies, baking cookies

Find it online: https://cheframi.com/pudding-cookies-recipe/