Homemade Ladyfingers
These homemade ladyfingers, or savoiardi, are soft and delicate on the inside and have a lightly sweetened crust on the outside. So easy to make and consists of only 5 ingredients.
Ladyfingers are rather simple cookies made with sponge cake batter. Why make them at home when they are so readily available in stores? The cookies from this homemade version remain soft and supple. Store bought are firm and crunchy. So if you prefer a soft cookie then choose homemade.
It’s also the perfect size for little hands to hold onto.
To begin, tear off a sheet of parchment paper large enough to cover your baking sheet. Create a template on the parchment paper. We’ll use this as a guide when piping out the ladyfingers. Draw horizontal lines across the width of the paper making each cookie 3 1/2 inches long spaced 1 inch apart. Turn parchment paper over to the other side.
Bring your eggs to room temperature. Whipping egg whites at room temperature will have more air and lift than if whipped when cold. To bring cold eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in hot tap water for approximately 5 minutes.
Piping bags is something I normally don’t have in my kitchen. I used a ziplock bag instead. Fill the bag with batter, zip it closed and cut a hole in the bottom corner approximately 1/2 inch wide. Start piping.
Dust with icing sugar then dust some more. Bake.
Transfer to wire rack and let cool. ahh beautiful!
Adapted from LaVarenne Practique Cookbook, by Anne Willan.
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- icing sugar for dusting
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Create a template on the parchment paper to use as a guide. Draw horizontal lines across the width of the paper making each cookie 3 1/2 inches long spaced 1 inch apart. Turn the paper over to the other side.
- Bring eggs to room temperature. You can quickly do this by placing them in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites on high speed until soft peaks are formed. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue whisking until stiff, smooth and glossy. Transfer meringue from mixing bowl to another bowl.
- Add egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar to mixing bowl and beat until smooth, creamy and pale yellow in colour, approximately 7-8 minutes on high speed.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Sift flour over egg mixture but do not fold in.
- Add the meringue in three additions and gently fold in together with the flour. Mix only until incorporated.
- Scoop batter into a piping bag. If you don’t have one then use a plastic freezer bag. Cut a hole approximately 1/2 inch wide.
- Pipe lady fingers using the lines as a guide.
- Using a fine sieve, dust with icing sugar then dust again.
- Bake 15-18 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.
If you are making Tiramisu you don’t want cookies to be soft, even on the inside. They are dipped in coffee. If they are a delicate cookie they will fall apart when wet. This is not actual Savoiardi.