Homemade Lady Finger Cookies Recipe

A homemade Lady Finger Cookies Recipe (savoiardi) made with the classic Italian sponge cookie technique: warm the egg base over a double boiler to 165 degrees, whip to medium peaks, fold in sifted flour, pipe onto parchment, dust with powdered sugar, and bake. Light crisp shell, tender airy crumb, perfect for tiramisu or coffee dunking.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Lady Finger Cookies, Lady Finger Cookies Recipe, Savoiardi

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 27

Total Time 42

Servings servings

Calories 46kcal

Author Dana DeVolk

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
2 tablespoons cornstarch sifted
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F—line sheet trays with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk together the sifted flour and cornstarch until combined in a medium bowl.
Whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt well in a heatproof medium-sized bowl.
Place the bowl over a double boiler over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the sides and bottom.
Continue to do this until the internal temperature of the mixture reaches 165°F. This is a very important step; it can take 5-15 minutes for the eggs to reach the correct temperature.
Add the egg mixture and vanilla to the body of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Whip the egg mixture on high until light and fluffy and making medium peaks. You know it is ready when a dollop of it stays for a second and then sinks back into the mixture. This step will take 5-8 minutes.
Fold in the sifted flour and cornstarch until just combined; do not over-mix.
Using a piping bag with a 1/2-inch tip, pipe cookies onto parchment paper about 3 x 1/2 inches in size and one inch apart. You can also make them as long as you like.
Generously sift powdered sugar on top. Bake for 12 minutes, until they are very lightly golden around the edge.
Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer 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 1/2″ 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.

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