Lady Fingers are light, crunchy cookies with a subtle sweetness. Ladyfingers are perfect for snacking with coffee or putting into ladyfinger desserts!
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Three things might come to mind when you think of Italian Ladyfingers, one is that they are super hard and tasteless, two is they are little mini cakes, and three they are incredibly hard to find!
I know, to me this is a tad confusing on what ladyfingers actually are.
What are Ladyfingers?
Ladyfingers are a biscotti like Italian cookie. The base is similar to a sponge cake.
Before baking, they are sprinkled generously with powdered sugar. During the baking process, they become light and crispy similar to biscotti but not as dense.
Why this recipe works:
- Minimal ingredients help these cookies come together quickly.
- They do not take long to bake up.
- Since ladyfingers are a lot of the time seasonal, you can easily make these all year round.
Some of my other favorite cookies that we have on the website include Chewy No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Cream Cheese Palmier Cookies and Meltaway Almond Cookies.
Where can I find Ladyfingers?
If you are lucky, your local grocery store will carry them. However, they might not be there all the time.
I find the type of grocery store that has them most often are higher end grocery stores.
If your local grocery store supplies them, they will be in the bakery section. This is normally where they will sell the softer version of ladyfingers.
They will also be in the cookie aisle, but these will be super hard and crispy cookies.
If you are not in a rush to make your dessert I suggest making this homemade ladyfinger recipe instead of buying packaged Ladyfingers!
If your local grocery store supplies them, they will be in the bakery section. This is normally where they will sell the softer version of Ladyfingers.
They will also be in the cookie aisle, but these will be super hard and crispy cookies.
Like many people, I had a hard time finding Ladyfingers locally. So, instead of purchasing them (because I literally couldn’t find them anywhere) I decided to make them instead!
I had dreams of making a Tiramisu Pie and I just had to have Ladyfingers. Tiramisu consists of a mascarpone custard layered with soaked Ladyfingers, cream, and cocoa powder.
So, they were a vital ingredient for my pie!
What are they soaked in for tiramisu?
Ladyfingers can be soaked in a variety of things for tiramisu. I used a mixture of Marsala wine and coffee extract for my pie.
However, you can use just Marsala wine or Madeira. More options are strong coffee or espresso, dark rum, amaretto, or Kahlua!
If you would like tiramisu without alcohol then use coffee or espresso in place of any alcohol – still delicious!!
Simple recipe ideas for Homemade Ladyfinger desserts:
- Ladyfinger trifle, for minis, use crumbled up ladyfinger cookies layered with whipped cream and berries. Or you could make it in a large trifle glass using whole ladyfingers.
- Ladyfinger cheesecake, crumble the cookies to use for the crust like graham crackers!
- Ice cream sandwiches, scoop gelato between two cookies!
How to store:
This Ladyfinger recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week. They can also be frozen, bake and cool according to directions.
Once cooled place in an airtight container and you can freeze up to 1 month, to defrost just remove from container and set on countertop.
These cookies are so light, delicate and dare I say… elegant?! I just feel fancy eating them, LOL!
They are actually really easy to make and use simple ingredients. But, you do have to have a touch of patience with them.
How to make Ladyfingers, Step by Step:
- Before making any recipe, especially with baking a technic focused dessert, get all of your ingredients ready and laid out beforehand.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, place eggs, sugar, and salt. Whisk together.
- Place bowl over a double boiler, whisking constantly, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom. Continue to do this until the internal temperature of the mixture reaches 165°F degrees. This is a very important step, it can take 5-15 minutes for the eggs to reach the correct temperature.
- Whip egg mixture on high until light and fluffy and it makes medium-peaks. You know it is ready when a dollop of it will stay for a second then sink back into the mixture. The mixture will quadruple in size.
- Fold in sifted flour and cornstarch until just combined, do not over mix.
- Using a piping bag with 1/2 inch tip, pipe cookies onto parchment about 3×1 inches in size and one inch apart. Or, you can make them as long as you like.
- Generously sift powdered sugar on top. Bake at 350°F degrees for 12 minutes.
- Cookies will be golden brown on the bottom and light brown on top. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wired rack to cool completely.
See these are really a super easy recipe, when I get the chance to make them, I always opt to make them rather than purchase, homemade is always better!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- These can be frozen, read my storing tips above.
- Vanilla bean paste can be hard to find, you can swap out with regular vanilla for this recipe.
- Make sure you constantly whisk your egg mixture, this will keep it from overcooking.
- Make sure you do not over mix the batter of this recipe, it will dry them out, gently fold in until you see no more dry patches.
- If you do not own a piping tip, just cut off the tip of your bag so they can reach the 1″ wide thickness.
- These will spread slightly while cooking, this is normal.
- Do not worry about dusting more powdered sugar on the pan, this will not burn.
If you want a deliciously easy recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth and can be used for a variety of things, then you need to whip up these Ladyfingers!
Tools used to make Lady Fingers:
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If you’ve tried these HOMEMADE LADY FINGERS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Lady Finger Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour not packed, filled light with spoon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the eggs, sugar, and salt. Whisk together. In a small pot, add about 3 inches of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place the stand mixer bowl on top of the pot, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water to form a double boiler.
- Constantly whisk the egg mixture making sure to scrape the bottom and sides constantly. Continue to do this until egg mixture reaches 165°F degrees. This can take 5-15 minutes. Transfer bowl to the stand mixer base fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Add the vanilla. Whip on high for 5 minutes or until mixture quadruples in size and forms medium peaks. You know it is ready when a dollop of the mixture will keep its shape for a couple seconds before melting back into the batter.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch and fold in by hand. You just want the dry ingredients mixed in enough so you do not see any dry patches do not over mix.
- Pour batter into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip. To make this easier, place the piping bag into a tall glass and pour the batter into the bag that way. Line sheet tray with parchment paper, you will probably need two trays for this. Pipe cookies about 1 by 3 inches and 1 inch apart. The batter will spread slightly.
- Generously sift powdered sugar over the cookies, don't worry, any sugar that is not on top of the cookies will not burn. Bake for 12 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool slightly on the tray for 2 minutes. Using a turner, transfer the cookies to a wired rack to cool completely.
Notes
- These can be frozen, read my storing tips above.
- Vanilla bean paste can be hard to find, you can swap out with regular vanilla for this recipe.
- Make sure you constantly whisk your egg mixture, this will keep it from overcooking.
- Make sure you do not over mix the batter of this recipe, it will dry them out, gently fold in until you see no more dry patches.
- If you do not own a piping tip, just cut off the tip of your bag so they can reach the 1" wide thickness.
- These will spread slightly while cooking, this is normal.
- Do not worry about dusting more powdered sugar on the pan, this will not burn.
Nutrition
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I’ve never actually made lady fingers but I may just give them a try after reading your recipe. They look so much better than the store bought variety and when you mentioned using them for a cheesecake crust I got all excited. Now I just wish I had some lady fingers to have with my morning coffee.
I would never have thought to make homemade ladyfinger cookies! That is such a good idea!