Biscoff Tiramisu

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone started 2012 with a bang.  Mine was really mellow.  The past week or so has been mellow and I foresee this entire month--which is also my winter vacation before school starts--to be mellow, as well.  I'll be studying nonstop for my GRE.  Since I never took the original version, I'm stuck with the revised version and well, I'm not sure what to think.  The Princeton Review and Barron's are going to be my best friends for the next month.

Despite the craziness to come, I'm hoping to make some scrumptious meals here and there.  Right now, I'd like to share with you this amazing Biscoff Tiramisu that I made.

What is Biscoff?  Biscoff is a very famous European cookie.  This tiramisu was inspired by Biscoff Spread, which I found at Stater Bros. many months ago.  Fifty seven percent of the spread is the Biscoff cookie itself.  Cookie in a spread?  Yes, please.  I ended up finding Biscoff cookies at Walgreens as well as Stater Bros.  They are chunked together with the European cookies in the cookie aisle.  

"Europe's favorite cookie with coffee"?"  Biscoff and tiramisu sounds like a perfect combination, then.

The cookies in these packages came in packets of two.

I'm not quite sure how to describe it.  To me, Biscoff cookies sort of have a lemon flavor to them.  It's not terribly prominent but I have a lingering lemon flavor on my tongue long after the cookie is gone.  The spread reminded me of these lemon cookies that came in an assorted cookies tin from the Asian grocery market that my parents use to purchase when we were younger.  These definitely evoked a flavor memory from my childhood.  Biscoff cookies are definitely distinct in flavor and I recommend you to try them out!  Maybe it'll even give you a visage of sitting on a plane flying back home from Europe with a little cookie in hand; this is how they were first made popular in the United States.  This was my experience with Walker's Shortbread Cookies; I received a packet from the flight attendant as I was coming home from London out of Heathrow.  Mmm, now those are quite delicious, too!

This glass container is what started it all.

I am a huge fan of tiramisu but do not order it often when I am out.  Frankly, I don't order dessert that often when I eat out.  I'd rather eat my own creations!  Anyway, I was really jonesing for tiramisu and believe I've created a wonderful recipe filled with delicious flavors.  I did not put as much alcohol into this as I normally would because I knew little children would be consuming it.  However, it still tasted wonderful.  I also did not have my Kitchen Aid mixer with me nor did I have a hand mixer so... I got quite the arm workout in with my whisks.  But, by all means, please use those tools as they'll make your life much easier.  If anything, I made it like they did back in the olden days and probably still do in many places.  In my opinion, a tasty dessert that is the product of much hard work and sheer determination always tastes that much better.  In short, it was a labor of love!

I believe my steps and instructions are really simple and if you're using an electric appliance to help you, it'll be even simpler.  A word of caution: I recommend refrigerating this dessert for at least 24 hours before consumption.  I actually waited 48 long ones before eating it.  A second word of caution: my recipe is enough to fill up an 11" x 15" glass baking dish.  Please feel free to scale it down if you're making much less; I even had leftover creamy mixture which I made into a second tiramisu with a small glass baking dish.  

It's a great make-ahead dessert for any occasion.  I guarantee that everyone will want to be your best friend after eating this.  It'll wow your guests and be a total hit!

Biscoff Tiramisu

Ingredients:

• 12 egg yolks
• 12 egg whites
• 16 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup rum or Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (very cold)
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups espresso + 1/4 cup sugar
• Optional: 2 tablespoons rum or Marsala wine
• salt
• Ladyfingers aka Savoiardi
• Biscoff cookies
• Optional: melted Biscoff Spread

1. Place a mixing bowl for the whipped cream into the freezer.  Next, pour all your espresso into a bowl and dissolve that 1/4 of sugar in it.  *If you're adding some alcohol to this, then do so now.*  Set your espresso bowl aside.  

2. In a very large bowl, create a shallow ice bath (ice + water) and set this aside.  

3. Fill a pot about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way full with water and bring it to a simmer.  In a large heat-proof bowl (preferably metal or glass), whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of rum, and 1 cup of sugar.  Whisk until the sugar appears dissolved and the mixture begins to pale; this should only take a few minutes.

4. Place the yolk mixture on top of the pot with simmering water to create a double boiler and vigorously whisk away for about five minutes.  This mixture will pale even more and slightly thicken.

5. Remove the bowl from the heat, place it into the ice bath, and continue whisking until it has completely thickened and cooled.  

6. Add your softened mascarpone cheese, mix well, and then your Biscoff Spread.  Whisk it all in until there are no lumps.  Let this bowl sit in the refrigerator while you make your whipped cream.

7. Remove the bowl from the freezer and your heavy cream from the refrigerator and quickly measure out your two cups and pour it into the bowl.  Whisk away until it becomes bubbly but not quite to soft peaks.  At this point, add in the powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Continue whisking until you reach stiff peaks.

8. Add a pinch of salt to your egg whites and start whisking away.  Whisk it until you get to soft peaks and then add one teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Whisk until you get relatively stiff peaks.  *It's okay if it is still sliding around in the bowl.*

9. Gently fold the whipped cream into the Biscoff mixture.  Then, take one heaping goop of the egg whites and stir it into the Biscoff and whipped cream mixture.  This will help bring that mixture to the same consistency as the egg whites.  Then, ever so lovingly and gently, fold in the rest of your egg whites.  

10. With your large baking dish ready to be filled, start dipping your ladyfingers into the espresso bowl.  It's a quick dip of maybe two or three seconds.  Place it into the dish and continue doing so until every empty spot is covered.  It's okay to break the ladyfingers apart to fit it to size.  

11. Next, apply a generous layer of your light Biscoff mixture on top.  With an offset spatula or regular spatula, smooth it out and even mush it into the little nooks and crannies (there shouldn't really be any) between the ladyfingers..  Then, sprinkle crumbled Biscoff cookies on top.  

12. Repeat with another layer of the soaked ladyfingers and Biscoff mixture.  If using melted Biscoff Spread, drizzle it on top of this top layer of Biscoff "cream".  

13. Sprinkle the crumbled Biscoff cookies at the very top.  Cover with plastic wrap (I L-O-V-E Press N Seal!), and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.  Stay strong!  I know you can do it!  You'll thank me for the eye-rolling you're going to do when you have your first bite :-)

I love my little espresso maker!  I pour cold, filtered water into the bottom thing, then there's a filter that goes on top where I place the ground coffee.  On very low heat, the water eventually comes to a boil and steam goes up and pushes threw the coffee and into the top holding reservoir.  I was so stoked to find this 6-cup espresso maker on sale for six bucks ;-)  They're usually $30!

Egg yolks, sugar, and rum... this began my long whisking adventure.

Mix it all together.

Over the simmering water now.  See how it has become paler and slightly thicker?  Yeah, probably not but, you will in person!

Alright, here you can see it has thickened.

Time for a bath.

It's amazing what changing the temperature can do in the thickening process.

This is just beautiful!

Add the mascarpone cheese.

Look at what wonders cheese can do to a mixture.

Add in room temperature Biscoff Spread.

Look at this smooth cookie goodness!

Let's make some whipped cream!

If you are concerned about the level of sweetness in this dessert, feel free to cut down on the amount of powdered sugar you add.  I don't like my desserts overly sweet and thought this was just the perfect amount.

Whip it good to stiff peaks but don't overwhip!  We don't want to make butter!

Egg whites and a pinch of salt.  Then, after it gets a bit foamy, add a bit of vanilla extract.

Yes, that was a lot of whisking action.

And the Biscoff mixture starts to get even better!  First, the whipped cream.

Folding: go from the bottom to the top--up and over--while slowly turning the bowl.

And now, your big goop of egg whites.

Mix in the goop of egg whites.  Then, fold in the rest of the egg whites to maintain that volume and air that your arm (or machine) spent forever whipping up.

I told you--this makes a lot.  Another piece of good news is that all the whisking is done!

I like using the "hard" ladyfingers.  When shopping around, you might find a soft type of ladyfinger.  The decision is yours; I find that the soft ones tend to be flat and wide.  There's definitely no need for soaking if you use those; simply brush the coffee on them instead.  I apologize in advance that I forgot to count how many packages I used :-(  Definitely the four on the right...

And so it begins.

One package of Savoiardi had one dozen in it.

I mushed them in there!

Be generous.

Sprinkle your crumbled Biscoff cookies on top :-)

Repeat!

This is where you have the option to melt some of your Biscoff Spread and drizzle it on top.

Pretty!

Off to the refrigerator! 

Mmm, look at those layers!