A tiramisu cookie that ACTUALLY tastes like Tiramisu. Marbled cookie dough layered with an espresso soaked lady finger and frosted with mascarpone whipped cream.
We don’t have to talk about my obsession with tiramisu but we do have to discuss these cookies.
They’re tiramisu cookies that ACTUALLY taste like Tiramisu.
I couldn’t decide between a regular tiramisu cookie with espresso in the base or a chocolate version so I did both. Then I had the brilliant idea to marble them together.
Side Note: you can make just one of the two doughs or you could even make one large dough, split it in half and then add the cocoa and remaining flour after splitting. Instructions are all in the recipe card at the bottom!
The cookies *looked* phenomenal but when I tasted it, something was just missing… & it was that squishy, bitter, espresso soaked lady finger that I love in a true tiramisu. So of course, I redid the cookies, adding a lady finger between the cookie and the frosting and these cookies became “the best thing I’ve ever made”… until I make the next best thing, of course lol.
How To Make The Best Tiramisu Cookies
There’s five parts to this recipe but they’re all REALLY simple.
Brown Butter – I’m not sure I know how to make cookies without browning the butter anymore. Read up on that post if you’ve never done it!
Espresso Cookie Dough – the original version I was going for. Of course, I used my FAVORITE Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookie Dough and added a hefty amount of espresso powder.
Chocolate Cookie Dough – couldn’t get this idea out of my head and figured I’d make them at the same time. It’s an identical batter but just swapped some of the flour for cocoa powder.
Espresso Lady Finger – this hardly warrants a section but I just cut lady fingers into thirds and dipped them in espresso. THIS super simple step is what sets these cookies apart.
Mascarpone Frosting – super quick and easy whip cream, using mascarpone as the base. I use this for most of my tiramisu bakes like cupcakes, cake, donuts, etc. (besides a classic tiramisu, which I add eggs to the cream for that!).
Brown Butter
heat the butter in a pot until it’s meltedcook while stirring, until milk solids settle and brown
Espresso Cookie Dough
wet ingredients whisked together for cookie doughdry ingredients folded into cookie dough
Chocolate Cookie Dough
wet ingredients for chocolate cookie dough whisked togetherdry ingredients folded into batterroll chocolate cookie dough into 2 ounce ballsroll together 1 ounce of each cookie dough to marble them togethermarbled cookies finished baking
Espresso Lady Finger
dip 1/3 of a lady finger into espresso, squeeze out any excess liquid and press flat onto cookiedip 1/3 of a lady finger into espresso, squeeze out any excess liquid and press flat onto cookie
Mascarpone Frosting
mascarpone beat with powdered sugarwhipped cream beat into mascarponemascarpone piped onto espresso cookiesmascarpone piped onto chocolate cookiesdust with cocoa powderdust with cocoa powder
How To Store Cookies
These tiramisu cookies should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. I also freeze them in an airtight container and then just bring them back to room temperature before serving (thaw in the fridge overnight or a few hours at room temperature).
A tiramisu cookie that ACTUALLY tastes like Tiramisu. Marbled cookie dough layered with an espresso soaked lady finger and frosted with mascarpone whipped cream.
120-180mLespresso, cooled (this is 4-6 shots in my breville)
Mascarpone Frosting
227gramsmascarpone, cold
120gramspowdered sugar, spooned and leveled
1Tbspvanilla bean paste
180mLheavy whipping cream, cold
Method
Brown Butter
In a small pot, over medium heat, cook the butter for 5-10 minutes, stirring intermittently until it begins to bubble and foam.
227 grams salted butter browned
Then stir continuously until you see the milk solids browning and settling on the bottom. Pour the butter into a bowl and allow it cool for a few minutes. If measured now, 227 grams of butter should now measure 186 grams.
Espresso Cookie Dough*
Place the sugar into a medium-large bowl with the butter and whisk until they're completely combined.
Then add the egg, and vanilla and whisk together aggressively for 2-3 minutes, until it's smooth and has lightened in color.
1 large egg, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Add the flour, salt and baking powder and fold the cookie dough just until there are a no more streaks left of flour.
150 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Chill cookie dough just until you're able to scoop it easily, about 30 minutes.
Chocolate Espresso Cookie Dough*
Repeat the exact same process with the chocolate cookie dough. Mix the sugar with the brown butter, add the egg, espresso and vanilla before folding in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Chill until scoop-able.
93 grams brown butter melted, 133 grams light brown sugar lightly packed, 1 large egg, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, 120 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 26 grams cocoa powder I use dutch-processed, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Scoop eight 2 ounce cookies and roll into cookie dough balls. You can do all white, all chocolate or marble them together by scooping 1 oz of each and rolling them together.
Chill the cookie dough balls again, I do about 15-30 minutes in the freezer while the oven preheats and then place them two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 350F/177C (I do 325F (163C) convection because my oven is overly hot on the bottom) and bake one sheet on the middle rack for 8ish minutes, remove, bang on the counter, use a round biscuit cutter to scoot them around so they’re round and return to the oven for another 4ish minutes, just until the edges are starting to brown. The centers will still look a like they need another minute or two but they will finish baking as they cool.
Remove from the oven, give it another quick tap on the counter & scoot them around again so they’re perfectly round. The edges should be lightly browned and the top no longer wet but still a little doughy. You can press the centers down just a little to make a divot for the lady fingers if you want.
Cool completely before frosting.
Espresso Filling
Cut each lady finger into thirds and dip into the espresso for 2-3 seconds, squeeze out the excess liquid and then press the lady finger as flat as you can on top of the cookie.
6 lady fingers cut into thirds, 120-180 mL espresso cooled (this is 4-6 shots in my breville)
Mascarpone Frosting
Place the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beat them together at medium speed until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the speed to high for a minute to fluff up the mascarpone.
Reduce the heat to medium and stream in the heavy cream in 3-4 increments, mixing well between each one. Once it's all added, increase the speed and beat until the cream holds peaks.
180 mL heavy whipping cream cold
Pipe the mascarpone cream on top of the cookies and dust with cocoa powder.
Notes
*You could also just make this as one dough if you prefer. Just reserve 30 grams (1/4 cup) of flour and the cocoa powder. Split the dough in half, about 16 ounces to each half. Then add the remaining 30 grams (1/4 cup) of flour to one half and the cocoa powder to the other half.
store in the fridge airtight for a few days or freeze for a few weeks.
