Just over a year ago I made tiramisu cookies…THE FLAVOURS I tasted in my mouth when I ate those cookies was amazing.
I’ve made a lot of cookies since but I’m always thinking of those ones.
At the time I didn’t have this blog, I just posted the recipe on Instagram. But I felt like I needed a blog post dedicated to them, so here it is!
Video Tutorial
What makes these tiramisu cookies?
So if we think about tiramisu, it’s essentially layers of sponge fingers that have been soaked in coffee, layers of a mascarpone cream and then a layer of cocoa powder.
This is a very simplified way to describe tiramisu, but those different elements are what makes it, right?
So for this recipe, I took those 3 different elements and made them into a cookie.
I replaced the coffee soaked sponge fingers with a coffee flavoured cookie instead, then I added a mascarpone cream on top and finished them with a dusting of cocoa powder….and now we have a tiramisu cookie!
Ingredients for the coffee flavoured cookies
Here are the ingredients you are going to need to make the cookies:
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter when baking, but salted works too. Just make sure not to add any extra salt.
- Instant coffee – I recommend using instant coffee powder instead of granules, it just dissolves a lot better. Also the amount of coffee you use is totally up to you, add as much or as little as you want.
- Sugar – I like to use both brown and white sugar in cookies. The brown sugar adds flavour and moisture, the white sugar adds some crispiness.
- 1 egg
- Vanilla – just for flavour.
- Plain flour – also known as all-purpose flour.
- Salt – this just helps enhance the flavours, don’t add it if you’re using salted butter.
- Raising agents – I use baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder helps the cookies rise, the baking soda helps them spread.
Common questions
Here are some common questions I get about my cookie recipes. They might help with this recipe too!
Do I have to chill the cookie dough before baking?
Yes you do! These cookies are made with melted butter, so the butter needs some time to set up before being baked.
If you bake them straight away, they will spread too much and end up very flat. So chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Why did my cookies not spread as much as yours?
I don’t know the exact reason but sometimes cookies just decide not to spread as much.
If you notice this happening, that’s fine. Just take the tray out of the oven a few minutes before the cookies are done and slam the tray down on your counter a few times. Then put them back into the oven to finish baking.
This will encourage them to spread.
How do you get perfectly round cookies?
Most cookies don’t bake perfectly round. If you see ever see pictures or videos of perfectly round cookies, they most likely have been re-shapen after they were baked.
All you need to do is get something round that is slightly bigger than your cookies. I use a cookie cutter, a small bowl will work, a ramekin, a lid….just anything round.
As soon as your cookies come out of the oven, get your cookie cutter (or whatever you decided to use) and swirl this around the cookies to re-shape them. Now you have perfectly round cookies!
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, I do this all the time. Just make your cookie dough balls and place them in a container or food bag. Then they can stay in the fridge for about 4 days.
Or you could leave them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Just a heads up though, if you do freeze them they will needs a few extra minutes in the oven. They also might spread a little less, but I think having a slightly thicker cookie is not a bad thing!
The mascarpone cream
Making the mascarpone cream is pretty easy, you only need 4 ingredients.
Here’s what you will need:
- Double cream – also known as heavy cream. If you live in a place where you can’t get this, whipping cream works too. Make sure the cream is cold, it will whip much better.
- Icing sugar – also known as powdered sugar. I added this to taste, you could add more or less sugar if you want too.
- Vanilla – for flavour.
- Mascarpone – you can use this straight from the fridge. Just give it a mix before you add it to the other ingredients to loosen it up.
To make it, you just need to whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together until this thickens. Then add the mascarpone.
In order to get cream to thicken, you need to whip aggressively. So if you have an electric mixer I recommend using it.
It isn’t a huge amount though so you could also just whisk it aggressively with a regular whisk.
Don’t over whip the double cream
You only want to whip the cream until you get soft peaks because once we add the mascarpone, we’re going to mix it even more.
If we add the mascarpone to cream that has been whipped to firm peaks, it will just end up too thick as we mix in the mascarpone. So soft peaks is best.
If you feel like you have over whipped the cream, that’s fine. Just add some more un-whipped double cream and stir this in.
Only add the mascarpone cream before you’re about to serve the cookies
Ok you don’t have to listen to me on this but I recommend only piping the cream onto the cookies a few hours before they are going to be eaten.
Because the mascarpone cream is being made with double cream and mascarpone, it can only stay at room temperature for a few hours. Then it needs to go in the fridge.
However, the cookies taste best at room temperature. So I think it’s better to just add the cream onto them before serving.
You can add the cream to the cookies then place them in the fridge. But the texture of the cookie will change. You will end up with a more soft cookie than a crispy gooey one.
It will still taste great though, so it’s up to you what you want to do!
Here are a few other cookie recipes I think you might like:
Tiramisu Cookies
Ingredients
Makes: 6
- For the cookies:
120g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
100g granulated sugar
100g brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- For the mascarpone cream:
220ml double cream
100g icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g mascarpone
Plus some cocoa powder to sprinkle on top
Directions
- Making the cookies:
- Start by melting your butter, then pour this into a large bowl. Add the coffee into this and whisk until it has dissolved.
- Now add both sugars and the vanilla, whisk until combined. Then whisk in the egg.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add this into the other bowl and mix just until a dough forms.
- Create 6 cookie dough balls out of this dough. Place these onto a tray or plate, then leave them to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- About 10 minutes before you're ready to bake them, pre-heat your oven to 180c/350f.
- Once your cookie dough balls have chilled, place them onto a large baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Make sure to leave gaps between them so they have room to spread.
- Bake for around 20 minutes, then leave them on the tray to cool completely.
- Making the mascarpone cream:
- In a large bowl add the cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Whip this just until you get soft peaks.
- Now add the mascarpone and mix until combined.
- Once your cookies have cooled, pipe the mascarpone cream on top, dust with some cocoa powder and then enjoy!
