Homemade Ladyfingers

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Soft and fluffy Homemade Ladyfingers. Made with only FIVE ingredients, eggs, sugar, cream of tartar, flour, and a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. Honestly, these delicious cookies are not as hard to make as you might think and taste SO much better than store-bought. Every bite is soft, with enough texture to have a little bit of bite, and perfectly sweet. There’s just so much to love about these cookies. Though, the trick behind having perfect ladyfingers every time? Folding without over-folding the batter. This ensures that these cookies have that perfect shape, while having a wonderful structure on the inside. Perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee by themselves or using in other desserts like tiramisu! They’re so versatile and oh so delicious.

About The Recipe

This is probably going to sound weird, but these cookies are something that we’ve been wanting to share since the beginning of our blog! I know you all probably know this by now, but there is a list of recipes my mom and I have been working through that were like a “bucket-list” item to put on our blog.

Ladyfingers is one of them!

It’s something my mom has been making since I was a kid. Though, while she always used them in her tiramisu, she would let me and my brother have a few to munch on. They’ve been a favorite in our home for SO long.

But, I’ll be honest, I don’t remember really the last time we made them! So, when we were discussing recipes to post for this week, as it’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow, the idea was exciting about getting back into the kitchen and making these cookies…and it went great! The cookies turned out.

But when I was downloading the images of these Ladyfingers, my files corrupted! Literally, my worst. nightmare. I couldn’t save them.

So, we had to make these Ladyfingers all over AGAIN! Thankfully, they are not very hard to make and I actually like these photos SO much better than the first ones I took. And, while we were making this batch, we figured out a few tips to help you all make the best Ladyfingers possible!

It kind of became a win-win situation. Now, we have extra Ladyfingers in the freezer to enjoy with our morning coffee!

Why You Will Love These Ladyfinger Cookies

• Made with only FIVE ingredients.
• Tastes great with a cup of coffee.
• Works wonderfully in other desserts like tiramisu.
• Ready in LESS than a hour!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Sheet Pans
• Parchment Paper
• Piping Bag
• Cookie Spatula
• Wire Cooling Racks

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

• Pastry Flour
• Egg Whites
• Cream of Tartar
• Granulated Sugar
• Egg Yolks
• Powdered Sugar

How To Make Ladyfingers

Step 1: Sift flour

Sift the flour and set aside.

Step 2: Make the batter

With an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar to ribbon stage, about 5 minutes.

In a clean bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.

Add in sugar, a little at a time, until incorporated. Beat to medium stiff peaks.

Fold meringue into egg yolks one third at a time.

Fold flour into egg mixture one fourth at a time.

Step 3: Pipe and bake

Spoon batter into piping bag. Snip end to about a ½ inch opening.

Pipe batter onto parchment paper that has been marked with 3 ½ rectangles. Dust heavily with powdered sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until just starting to color. While the cookies are still hot, use a thin cookie spatula and place on cooling rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my ladyfingers flat?
There are a few reasons that this could happen. The main two reasons tends to be the meringue was under-whipped or the batter itself was over-folded! Another reason can be that the batter itself was piped too thinly.

What are medium-stiff peaks?
Medium-stiff peaks refer to the stiffness of the meringue. Medium-stiff has just the slightest curve to it when the beater is lifted from the meringue.

My egg whites aren’t whipping right! What went wrong?
Egg whites can be very difficult to work with sometimes! Everything affects them. Anything from the smallest amount of egg yolk to a tiny drop of water. Even the weather can have an effect on them. If your egg whites aren’t whipping properly, you will need to start again.

What Can I Make With These Ladyfingers?

Of course, the obvious answer is Tiramisu! Though, these cookies can really be made into almost anything. We love making trifles, charlottes (a type of cake), icebox cakes, parfaits, or just served alongside your favorite cup of coffee. Let us know in the comments below what you make with these cookies!

How To Store

These cookies are best enjoyed the day they’re made, but can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. Though, they can also be frozen for 1-2 months!

Expert Tips

• If you don’t have pastry flour, use 1 cup all purpose flour + 1 cup cake flour!
• Do not skip sifting the flour.
• Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Otherwise, you won’t get the volume you need!
• The meringue needs to be a medium stiff peak. When you lift the beater, you should still see a slight curve at the end of the peak.
• Be sure to fold the meringue in three additions and the flour needs to be folded into four additions.
• Do not overfold the batter!
• When piping the ladyfingers, hold the piping bag up about ½ – 1 inch away from the parchment paper.
• Once you’ve coated the ladyfingers with powdered sugar, get them into the oven quickly! You don’t want the powdered sugar to soak into the batter.
• When the ladyfingers are in the oven, be sure to watch them! They need to be taken out once the cookies just start to brown around the edges.
• After baking, use a cookie spatula to quickly get the cookies off the pan. The more the cookies cool, the more likely they are to stick to the parchment paper.

When you make these Homemade Ladyfingers, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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