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    Home » Blog

    Ladyfinger Cookies for Tiramisu

    Published: Apr 13, 2022 · Modified: Sep 25, 2023 by April Brown · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

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    Make ladyfinger cookies for Tiramisu, a snack topped with powdered sugar, or dipped in chocolate. These are delicious, sweet, and easy to make!

    pile of homemade ladyfinger cookies for tiramisu.

    Mix it, Bake it, & Eat it!

    How fun are these homemade cookies! I always seem to struggle when it's time to buy ladyfingers. I don't live in a very big city so the ONE grocery store we have in town does not carry something as fancy as Italian lady finger cookies. This delicious cookie recipe will be exactly what you need!

    I could have them shipped, sure. But why do that when I'm pretty sure ALL of us have these ingredients at home. You'll be surprised how simple these are to make. Check out my Tiramisu recipe featuring these ladyfingers! This ladyfingers recipe makes 30 sponge cake-like cookies. I can't wait to hear how you liked these!

    Gathering your ingredients

    Egg yolks – Egg yolks should be at room temperature.

    Egg white - Room temperature egg whites, if you're using a carton of egg whites take it out of the fridge with the whole eggs.

    Sugar – White granulated sugar

    Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract; imitation vanilla will also work.

    All-purpose flour – As with most recipes that require flour, the best practice is to weigh it, as measuring with a cup/scoop doesn’t always result in the proper amount. If you do not have a kitchen scale, fluff up your flour, with a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup then level off with a butter knife.

    Pinch of salt – Even though this is a dessert, a pinch of salt will enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness. Don’t skip it.

    Powdered sugar for dusting (optional) – Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar. Bring this ingredient out if you’re making these to eat just as Italian cookies.

    *see recipe card for detailed measurements

    Ladyfinger ingredients

    Kitchen supplies you’ll need

    • Cookie sheet (at least 2)
    • Mixing bowls
    • Saucepan
    • Hand mixer, or Stand mixer
    • Whisk or Whisk attachments
    • Piping bag or Ziploc bag

    How To Make Ladyfinger Cookies For Tiramisu

    Preheat the oven to 375 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Adjust oven rack to the middle position if it isn't already there.

    Separate your eggs, put the yolks into a large mixing bowl, and the egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; or a large separate bowl if using an electric mixer. 

    Whisk egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar with either a hand whisk or hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until the color is pale and fluffy and the sugar dissolves. Add Vanilla extract to the egg yolk mixture, mix then set aside. 

    Using the stand mixer, whip the egg whites mixture on medium-high until fluffy. At this time add in the remaining sugar a little at a time while continuing to whisk. Once the sugar is added, continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.

    egg whites in a stand mixer bowl
    egg yolks, sugar and vanilla mixture
    egg whites mixed into the egg yolk mixture

    Gently fold your whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture until they’re almost combined, they’ll look slightly streaky. 

    Sift the flour and salt over your mixture and continue to gently fold together until fully incorporated. Be careful not to knock too much air out. The texture should resemble a thick batter.

    flour sifted over egg mixture
    flour folded into egg mixture

    Fill a large piping bag with your Lady Finger batter. Use a tall glass to place either your pastry bag or ziplock bag straight for easy filling. Use a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip, or just cut the corner of a ziplock bag off.

    Pipe 3-4 inch lines of finger-like shape batter on your parchment paper lined prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. 

    two cups, one with a ziploc bag, one with a piping bag to show different ways to pipe
    lady fingers piped onto a silpat

    Let the cookies bake, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool completely before using the cookies for any other recipe. OR dust them with powdered sugar and eat them as cookies!

    **To use for Tiramisu, allow the cooled cookies to sit in a container on your counter exposed to the air. After a day, they should have a slightly crisp exterior perfect for soaking up the instant coffee mixture.

    How to pipe without piping bags:

    As shown in the picture above, using a large ziplock or plastic bag works just as well as a large pastry bag for piping the sponge fingers. Having a piping tip isn’t necessary. Just stick the corner of the bag into a large cup or glass and fold the edges over. Use a rubber spatula to scoop and fill the bag. Use scissors to cut the corner off before piping.

    Recipe FAQs

    Are lady finger cookies soft?

    After your homemade lady fingers have been baked, they're a delicious soft cookie. A chewy cake-like texture. Keep them sealed in a container for up to a week to maintain their softness.

    For a Tiramisu, however, ladyfingers are meant to be used after they're hard. Leave them out in the room temperature overnight and they'll harden up quickly.

    Are lady fingers supposed to be soggy in Tiramisu?

    Supposed to be soggy? No. When making a Tiramisu, dipping the homemade ladyfingers into the coffee mixture is essential. But because a homemade ladyfingers recipe or even store-bought ladyfingers are sponge cookies they'll do just that. Its sponge like interior will soak up that coffee mixture quickly, so it's recommended to only dip them in for half a second to avoid making the lady fingers soggy.

    Homemade ladyfingers should NOT be placed into a Tiramisu dish without drying out and becoming crunchy first. Adding newly baked cookies to that dessert will likely result in soggy sponge fingers.

    Why are they called ladyfingers?

    In the 17th century the cookie biscuit shape resembled a finger, hence the name "ladyfingers." They were a popular sweet treat among the upper classes and were often served with tea or used as a base for a dessert cuisine like tiramisu, charlotte, or trifle.

    piece of tiramisu with fork

    Expert Tips

    • Dust the homemade ladyfingers with powdered sugar and enjoy with a cup of coffee or afternoon tea.
    • Take these crunchy cookies over to our alcohol-free Tiramisu recipe.

    Storing Suggestions

    If using for Tiramisu, allow the ladyfinger cookies to sit out uncovered at least overnight to become stale and crunchy.

    If eating just as cookies, store them at room temp in an airtight container, this will also keep them soft.

    Can I freeze ladyfingers? Homemade ladyfingers can also be frozen for use at a later date. Let them cool then store them in an airtight container or Ziploc. If you need them to be crunchy cookies, let them sit out until they've hardened before freezing.

    Try these other cookie recipes!

    • Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
    • Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
    • Peanut Butter Cookies
    • GIANT Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookie
    • Chewy Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

    pile of homemade ladyfinger cookies

    Ladyfinger Cookies for Tiramisu

    Whether you're making Ladyfingers as a dessert cookie topped with powdered sugar or for a classic Tiramisu, these are quick, easy, and delicious!
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    Course: Cookies
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: cookies for tiramisu
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 30 cookies
    Calories: 35kcal
    Author: April Brown

    Equipment

    • Silpat
    • Stand mixer
    • Sifter

    Ingredients

    • 3 large eggs room temp
    • 1 egg white room temp
    • ½ cup sugar divided
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 cup All-purpose flour sifted
    • Pinch of salt
    • Powdered sugar for dusting optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
    • Separate your eggs, put yolks into a large bowl, and the white into the bowl of a stand mixer that’s using a whisk attachment; or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. 
    • Whisk eggs yolks and ¼ cup of Sugar with either a hand whisk or hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the color is pale and fluffy. 
    • Add Vanilla to the egg yolk mixture, mix then set aside. 
    • Using the stand mixer, mix egg whites on Medium-High until fluffy. At this time add in the remaining ¼ cup of Sugar a little at a time while continuing to whisk. Once the sugar is added, continue to whisk until you’ve reached stiff peaks.
    • Fold your whisked egg whites into the yolk mixture until they're almost combined, they’ll look slightly streaky. 
    • Sift the flour and salt over your mixture and continue to fold gently together until fully incorporated. Be careful not to knock out all the air. 
    • Fill a large piping bag with your Lady Finger batter. Pipe 3-4 inch lines of batter on your prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. 
    • Bake one sheet at a time for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden.
    • Allow to cool before using these for your dessert recipe. OR dust with powdered sugar and eat them as cookies!

    Notes

    • Ladyfingers will NOT be crunchy right out of the oven. They will require sitting out in the air at least overnight to "crunch up"
    • If you don't have access to a piping bag, use a Ziploc bag. Using a large ziplock bag works well for piping these cookies. Having a piping tip isn't necessary. Just stick the corner of the bag into a large cup or glass and fold the edges over. Use a rubber spatula to scoop and fill the bag. Use scissors to cut the corner off before piping.
    • To keep cookies soft, store them in an air-tight container. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Comment below and give a ★ rating!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anjali

      June 28, 2022 at 1:44 pm

      Tiramisu is one of my absolute favorite desserts, but I would always buy the ladyfingers premade -- this was the first time I made the ladyfingers from scratch and used it in my tiramisu recipe and it turned out so much better than the pre-made kind!!

      Reply

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