Tiramisu Cookies

Indulge in the heavenly flavors of Italy with these irresistible Tiramisu Cookies.  Chewy coffee cookies topped with rich mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa powder. 

These delightful treats are a unique twist on the tasty Italian dessert, combining the richness of tiramisu with the convenience and portability of cookies.  After the popularity of my Tiramisu Layer Cake, I wanted to see what other desserts I could make using the flavors of tiramisu.  After whipping up a batch of my delicious coffee cookies, I decided to experiment, and this tiramisu cookie recipe was born!   Whether you're a fan of traditional tiramisu or simply love cookies, this recipe will satisfy your cravings and leave you wanting more.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Cookies
• Ingredients
• Make the Coffee Cookies
• Make the Mascarpone Cream
• How to Assemble the Tiramisu Cookies
• Can I Make Tiramisu Cookies without the Amaretto? 
• Can I use Real Espresso instead of Espresso Powder?
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• You Might Also Like...
• Recipe

Why You'll Love These Cookies

• It's a fun twist on the Italian classic dessert that is portable and easy to eat. 

• The flavor is unreal and they are a really indulgent cookie that can be great for parties or events. 

• Perfect dessert for Father's Day as tiramisu is one of almost every Dad's favorite desserts.

• You can bake the cookies ahead of time and add the mascarpone cream topping when you are ready to serve for a super quick and hassle-free dessert. 

Ingredients

These tiramisu cookies start with my coffee cookies recipe and add a decadent mascarpone cream topping and cocoa powder. Ingredients for the cookies and mascarpone cream are below.

• Butter - We'll be melting the butter for the coffee cookies, which will give them a lovely chewy texture.  You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe, based on your preference. 

• Sugar - Use extra-fine white sugar (caster sugar in the UK)

• Light Brown Sugar - Brown sugar adds depth of flavor, I prefer light brown sugar as I'm not a fan of that molasses flavor, but if you prefer you can use dark brown sugar.  Just make sure you don't pick up demerara - the brown sugar should be fine like sand, not chunky and granulated.  

• Egg - Use large eggs in baking and always free range if you can.  Make sure the egg is at room temperature before adding to your cookie dough. 

• Espresso Powder - The key to a nice strong coffee flavor is to use espresso powder, also known as instant espresso powder.  This is different from instant coffee which tends to be bigger granules, instant espresso should look like a fine powder and is available in most grocery stores.

• Vanilla - Use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 

• Flour - Regular all-purpose flour is great for this cookie recipe. 

• Mascarpone Cheese - This creamy Italian cheese will give the topping that signature tiramisu flavor.  

• Powdered Sugar - Also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar, we'll use this to add a hint of sweetness to the mascarpone cream. 

• Whipping Cream - We will whip up the cream and mix it in with the other mascarpone topping ingredients to add lightness and stability.  Make sure you use whipping cream, heavy cream, or double cream. 

• Amaretto - I am obsessed with the flavor of amaretto in tiramisu, but if you're not a fan or you'd like a non-alcoholic version, you can absolutely just leave it out.  But believe me, it's a great addition that brings some serious flavor! 

• Cocoa Powder - Is it really tiramisu if it's not dusted with cocoa powder? I think not.  Get that classic tiramisu look and a hint of chocolate flavor on your tiramisu cookies by finishing off with a nice light dusting of cocoa powder. Any kind will do as a topping. 

See recipe card for quantities.

Make the Coffee Cookies

This recipe starts off by making my Coffee Cookies recipe, which are a super quick and delicious treat for any coffee-lover in your life.  Turning them into Tiramisu Cookies really elevates them to a new level. 

• Melt the butter in the microwave in 30-second increments, then pour into a medium bowl with both of the sugars and mix until combined.  You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, an electric mixer or you can just use a wooden spoon - the mixture comes together very easily.  By melting the butter rather than creaming it with the sugar, we are going to create a super soft and chewy cookie that will emulate the traditional ladyfingers in a classic tiramisu recipe.

• In a small bowl, add the espresso powder and a splash of hot water, stir together to form a paste, then add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix everything together. 

• Add the egg and vanilla and stir until combined.  Make sure the egg is at room temperature before adding.  

• Add all the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix together until a soft dough forms.  The dough will be very soft and sticky - that's okay. 

• Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Chilling is not necessary for the outcome of the cookies, but it will help to make the dough easier to handle so we can form neat balls of cookie dough on the baking sheet. 

• Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

• Spoon walnut-sized scoops of dough and roll them into balls in your hands.  You can use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to get even-sized balls, but I still like to hand-roll them for this particular recipe. 

• Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, spaced well apart to allow for spreading.  You may need to bake the cookies in batches to allow them enough room on the sheet.  I like to use two cookie sheets so I can have one batch in the oven and one ready to go on a lined baking sheet, to be put in immediately when the last batch comes out. 

• Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them sit on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Make the Mascarpone Cream

This mascarpone cream topping is so decadent and also light at the same time. I won't tell you not to eat it straight out of the bowl, but try to leave some for your tiramisu cookies! 

• Add the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, amaretto, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together until smooth.  There is no need to bring your mascarpone to room temperature first, it should be fine cold.  But if you're finding it is not mixing in smoothly or you are seeing lumps, let it sit at room temp for a little while before mixing again.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well combined. 

• In the clean bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or in a separate bowl with an electric whisk, whip the cold whipping cream on medium speed just until stiff peaks form. 

• Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until everything is combined and smooth. 

• Store in the fridge until you are ready to serve your cookies. 

How to Assemble the Tiramisu Cookies

• Once the coffee cookies have completely cooled, it's time to top them with that delicious mascarpone cream! 

• You can either spoon the cream on top of each cookie and spread it around with a knife for a more rustic look. If you'd like to get that classic tiramisu style, scoop the mascarpone cream into a piping bag and snip the end off, to create a hole about ½ an inch wide. 

• Starting in the middle and working your way out, squeeze small little blobs of mascarpone cream onto the cookies.  You want to gently squeeze and then release as you pull up to get those cute little pointed tops - it might take some practice to get it right.  Cover the whole cookie. 

• Once the cookies are all covered in mascarpone cream, use a small sieve to dust the tops of the cookies generously with cocoa powder. 

Can I Make Tiramisu Cookies without the Amaretto? 

Of course you can!  If you would prefer to leave the alcohol out for any reason, you can just skip it, there is no need to substitute for anything as you'll still get that amazing tiramisu flavor in these cookies without it.  I just personally think it adds a really delicious depth of flavor to the topping. 

Can I use Real Espresso instead of Espresso Powder?

The reason we use espresso powder is that it allows us to get the intense flavor of espresso without adding all that liquid to our cookie dough and making it sticky.  If you really want to use a shot of espresso instead,  you can, but the coffee flavor won't be as powerful as you will only be able to add about 1 shot of coffee before it starts to mess with the consistency of the dough.  

Instant espresso powder is a great ingredient to have on hand anyway, I love adding it to recipes such as my Coffee Cupcakes, or even to my chocolate desserts to add some depth.  You should be able to find it in most supermarkets, just be careful not to pick up instant coffee granules instead - these are chunkier, bigger granules, whereas espresso powder will be a fine powder. 

Substitutions

Mascarpone - If you can't find mascarpone, you can substitute it for Crème fraîche - this will get you the closest result to the original intended flavor and texture. 

Amaretto - You can really use any alcohol you like in the mascarpone cream.  I love the flavor of amaretto, but you could try a rum or traditional marsala wine. 

Variations

• Mocha tiramisu cookies - For a chocolatey twist on these tiramisu cookies, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the cookie dough to make a mocha cookie.  

• Swap the Amaretto - I love the way Amaretto tastes in these cookies, but you could swap this for your favorite alcohol - dark rum and marsala wine work really well too! Or you can leave out the alcohol completely if you prefer a non-boozy cookie. 

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Stand mixer or electric whisk for cream
• Baking sheet
• Piping bag
• Small sieve

Storage

It is best not to assemble the cookies until right before you are going to serve them, this is because the mascarpone cream can seep into the cookie and make them a little soggy if you let them sit for a long time.  

Store the coffee cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, and store the mascarpone cream in the fridge until ready to decorate and serve.  

The cookies will be good for about a week and the mascarpone cream will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

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