These Tiramisu Cookies are the ultimate dessert cookie. Think soft, thick NYC-style coffee cookies, topped with a light and creamy mascarpone frosting and finished with a generous dusting of cocoa powder. They have all the flavours of a classic tiramisu wrapped up in an indulgent cookie! The best part? The cookie dough doesn’t need chilling, which means you can have these ready in no time at all, perfect when you want something impressive without the wait.
When creating this recipe, I wanted to capture everything I love about tiramisu, especially its beautifully soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. That’s why I chose to base these cookies on a soft, thick NYC-style cookie rather than a crisp or chewy one. The tender cookie pairs perfectly with the creamy mascarpone topping, creating a dessert that really does remind me of eating a slice of tiramisu.
Getting the coffee flavour just right took a little experimenting! I originally tested these cookies using freshly brewed espresso, but I found it was difficult to achieve a bold coffee flavour without adding too much liquid to the dough. Too much espresso meant the dough became too wet and the cookies lost that lovely thick texture. Instant coffee turned out to be the perfect solution, giving a rich coffee flavour without compromising the dough. Just make sure you dissolve the instant coffee in a small amount of boiling water first—this allows the coffee crystals to dissolve completely so the flavour is evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough, with no bitter little granules hiding inside.
Why you’ll love these cookies…
They’re soft, creamy and seriously hard to stop eating. Whether you’re a lifelong tiramisu lover or simply looking for a coffee-flavoured cookie that’s a little bit different, these are guaranteed to become a favourite. And just like the classic Italian dessert, they’re even better with a generous dusting of cocoa powder right before serving! 🤤
In New Zealand (where I live) and in the UK it is generally ok to eat commercially produced raw egg yolk as long as the eggs are stored and handled correctly. However, eating raw eggs always carries a small risk. If you’re pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or simply prefer not to use raw egg, you can either use pasteurised egg yolks or cook the egg yolk before adding it to the mascarpone cream. To do this, whisk the egg yolks and sugar over the bain-marie until the mixture reaches at least 71°C (159.8°F). Allow it to cool slightly before folding into the mascarpone cream.
I originally tested this recipe with espresso, however I found it hard to get enough coffee flavour into the cookies without making the dough too wet. You can absolutely swap the instant coffee for 2 teaspoons of espresso, it will just have less coffee flavour than if you use instant coffee.
Mascarpone is delicate and can split if it’s over-whisked. Once you add the mascarpone, whisk only until smooth, then gently fold in the whipped cream. If your kitchen is warm, chill the mascarpone mixture while the cookies cool before decorating.
Storage:
Store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 20 minutes or so before eating to bring them up to room temperature.
💕 Loved this recipe? 💕
If you loved this recipe I would absolutely love you to tag me on Instagram and feel free to leave a review below 🥰
Tiramisu Cookies
A soft coffee cookie topped with a silky vanilla mascarpone cream ☕️
Equipment
- piping bag optional
Ingredients
Coffee Cookies
- 2 tsp instant coffee
- 2 tsp boiling water
- 120 g brown sugar
- 80 g caster sugar
- 125 g butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 280 g plain flour
Mascarpone Cream
- 250 g mascarpone cheese
- 100 g cream
- 40 g caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
To Assemble
- ~30 g cocoa powder
Instructions
Coffee Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan bake).
- Brew the instant coffee in the 2 teaspoons of boiling water and mix until the coffee has dissolved. Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the cooled coffee, vanilla bean paste and egg until combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda and baking powder and fold until fully incorporated.
- Roll the mixture into 10 equal-sized balls (around 65g each, if you want to be exact) and place onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Using flat fingers, gently press the balls down into a thick disc shape (around 2cm thick).
- Bake the cookies for 14 minutes, you want them to still be a little soft when you take them out so they stay nice and moist, they will firm up as they cool. Once removed from the oven, allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray (much easier and less messy to decorate and dust in cocoa while they are on the tray).
Mascarpone Cream
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in the mascarpone and whisk until combined and smooth (do not over-whisk the mascarpone as it will cause it to go runny).
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks.
- Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture one third at a time until combined. Place the mascarpone cream into the fridge until the cookies are completely cooled.
To Assemble
- Pop the mascarpone cream into a piping bag with a medium-sized round tip nozzle (or just cut off the end of the bag).
- Pipe (or dollop with a spoon) a big blob of mascarpone cream onto each of the cookies and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth out the top.
- Using a small sieve, generously dust the tops with cocoa powder, then enjoy!
Leave a Reply