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Classic Tiramisu- Without the Alcohol

Tiramisu, the quintessential Sicilian dessert, and the ultimate party food.  Although I’m (half) Sicilian, I didn’t grow up with this dessert at family dinner tables very much. I’m not exactly sure why, but it took for me to travel to Italy and taste the real deal in order to get hooked on it, over and over again. Needless to say, it’s my most-requested recipe and is so variable (I also have a Strawberry Tiramisu recipe in my Summer Ramadan Cooking cookbook). Tiramisu in glass dish The authentic or traditional recipe is made with amaretto liqueur and I’ve also seen it being served with rum on occasion. Obviously, those are not Halal ingredients, so I’ve come up with some alternatives to that. But the special ingredient is really the savoiardi, or lady finger cookies. You can find them at most Italian grocers and many international supermarkets in the ‘ethnic’ aisle, cookie aisle or Italian foods aisle. I see them everywhere in Chicagoland supermarkets. Of course at the moment the best thing to do if you’re not going out to the markets much is to order it online heresavoairdi bag Because, umm…I guess they’re shaped like long a long and elegant ‘lady finger’? savoiardi up close And after soaking them in some really strong Italian coffee, they look a bit like this: making cookies fit To see how I make my Italian coffee in a traditional Mokka pot, watch this: Recommended products mentioned in this video (affiliate links): Lavazza Italian Espresso Coffee/ Mokka pot/ Mokka replacement filters and gaskets/ 6-cup replacement funnel /Decaf Lavazza Espresso  You’ll prepare the cream mixture ahead of time, before even beginning to soak any of the savoiardi. You have to do that, otherwise you’ll end up with a big mess of soaked cookies and nowhere to really put them since there will be one layer of cookies and then cream has to be added to that, then another layer of cookies right on top. You can’t let the soaked cookies just sit around somewhere else. spread cream When preparing the cream mixture, I like to use raw cane sugar like one of these, but you can also use powdered sugar, too, which is finer and requires less whisking to absorb nicely into the cream. Raw Cane Sugar Next is another star ingredient and our super substitute for rum or amaretto liqueur; it’s my go-to brand/variety, but you could also use a vanilla bakery emulsion or another alcohol-free variety found at Whole Foods by Frontier. vanilla flavor trader joesIf you don’t have vanilla extract, you can leave it out, but you may want to replace it with some other flavoring. In that case, add apple juice to the cream and whisk before pouring it on the cookies; it serves as a replacement for brandy that is sometimes called for in traditional tiramisu dishes. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to make this entire dish ahead if time and refrigerate- the coffee really needs to soak into the lady finger cookies and the cream really needs to get cold for it to gel all together nicely. Now for the top, let’s talk chocolate. Dark chocolate, if you like. It should be cold because you’ll need to grate it for the top of the dessert. That’s also why I like to use bars, particularly the thick ones but even if you have a regular bar, it should work with a zester or peelershaving the chocolate So it can come out nice like this.  chocolate and cocoa mix Otherwise it’ll be a mess. Trust me. I know about messes. You may even want to sprinkle the cocoa/chocolate shavings mixture at the last moment, but that’s really up to you. You can do it just before refrigerating the entire dish. side view tiramisu P.S. If you’re looking for a dish to take to someone’s house on Eid, this is it. Bismillah & Buon Appetito!

Classic Tiramisu, Without the Alcohol

The perfect marriage of coffee, cream and cookies, dessert doesn’t get much better than this. Substitute decaf coffee, if desired. Serves 6-8 Ingredients
  • 2 cups cold or room temperature espresso coffee (you can also use a strong or bold regular coffee if that’s what you have)
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese 
  • 1/3 cup whole milk 
  • 2 tablespoons crème frâiche 
  • 3 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract 
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar or raw cane sugar 
  • 16 Savoiardi (Italian lady finger cookies)
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate shavings
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 
  • Directions
Make coffee and set it aside in a large bowl to cool. Using a deep bowl and strong whisk or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the mascarpone, milk, crème frâiche, and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar and mix well. It should be the consistency of pourable cream; add more milk, if needed (1/2 teaspoon at a time). Line the bottom of a square glass dish layer with the mascarpone-milk mixture. Soak each lady finger cookie one by one in the coffee for about 6-10 seconds, or until the cookie has absorbed enough coffee but it’s still firm enough to set flat in the glass pan. Line the pan with one row of soaked cookies. Next, add the mascarpone mixture and smooth over with a spatula. Repeat this one more time, or until all of the cream and cookies have been used. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the chocolate shavings. Dust the top layer of the dish with this mixture. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, or overnight, giving it time to set. Cut and serve chilled either on small plates or in small cups.  

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  1. This is THE recipe I always wanted! Great tip for the brandy replacement. I am not a dessert person but this is something I won’t say no to (except when it has alcohol in it).

  2. I have a question. Where can you buy alcohol-free vanilla extract? I’ve seen some but they are not real vanilla and I hate the artificial flavoring products. Please suggest a brand if you can.

  3. Asak. I recently saw a show on cheese on the Cooking Channel and was surprised to learn that mascarpone cheese is fermented in wine. Is that true? If so, is there a substitute you use? JZK.

  4. @Shabnam- great question. Traditionally, mascarpone was made with tartaric acid, which is found in wine barrels. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/mascarpone.HTM but in most commercial products, that is not what is used; instead it can be made with another form of acid like lemon- and also made a home, just like in this recipe by Huff Po writer and blogger, Laura Kumin, of Mother Would Know:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-kumin/how-to-make-mascarpone-ch_b_1728275.html

  5. asselamu aleikum i wish give to you my idea for alkohol free Tiramisu recipe
    4 large egg yolks
    100 g sugar
    120 ml apple juice
    500 g mascarpone
    1 teaspoon mahlab
    Lady fingers 20-24 pc
    Natural cocoa for sprinkling
    Put for short time the lady fingers in this mix:
    150 g strong coffee / espresso /
    2 tablespoons sugar
    100ml apple juice
    1/4 teaspoon mahlab
    Yolks with sugar, apple juice and mahleb break in a water bath until thickened, cool and were added mascarpone.

    1. @Tanwar- It’s a French style heavy cream but it’s not very sweet. It’s lighter than whipping cream but if you want to use whipping cream you’ll need to thicken it a bit. I think a happy medium is to use ‘whipped cream cheese’, but again it also needs to be sweetened or the overall dessert will taste a bit flat. I hope that helps!

      1. Salam Yvonne, Thanks for this amazing recipe- I can’t wait to try it. Quick question- I don’t think I can go to a store that sells craime freche before I have to make this. You mentioned thickening the heavy whipping cream. I’m a novice– how do I do that? Alternately, if I wanted to use whipped cream cheese, would I just sweeten it with sugar, and if so, how much? Thanks!!

  6. Asc thank you so much for this recipe. I have been looking for a halal version. May Allah reward you!

  7. Can we some other type of cookies instead of lady finger cookies as they are not available in India like Marie biscuits or some other jazakallah

    1. @Shaista.hakim- yes, you can use a similar cookie. Try to find something with a delicate sugar coating and a light texture. The shape isn’t as important as those two things. Let us know what you find!

  8. Assalamu’alaikum Yvonne.
    is it confirmed that BALOCCO savoiardi doesn’t contain any pork derivatives products and also do not contains any alcohol ?
    I looked for Lady Finger / savoiardi which is confirmed that use Halal ingredients.
    I found this Balocco brand already but search confirmation for that.
    Best Regards.
    Salam from Indonesia,
    Irma

  9. Hey I don’t but i am in UAE and I am trying to find non-alcoholic vanilla extract but they said that vanilla extract is always non-alcoholic but still i am confused
    Plz help me

  10. As salaam Alaikum! I am not a coffee person so please can u suggest me the best coffee for this and how many spoons of coffee to make cold coffee. btw I love this dessert, can’t wait to try it myself.
    Jzk for sharing.

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  12. Thanks so much for this recipe! I much prefer creme fraiche to egg yolks in other recipes.
    I also used vanilla sugar instead of extract + sugar which I think was fine. I prefer the strong coffee taste.
    Final tip I got from a friend, in the cocoa mix on top, she would use ground instant coffee which gives it a bit extra punch. I love coffee, what can I say 😉
    Thanks again!

  13. I never usually leave a review when trying new recipes but this one i had to!
    This was my first ever time trying any tiramisu recipe and I just want to say how much of a hit it was! Alhamdulillah the entire family loved it and it was such a great dessert to end our eid day! I was worried that I had missed something in the recipe because it was THAT easy to follow! Jazakallah kahir for sharing this! I think its become one of those dessertd thats going to be requested at every family gathering!

    Side note: i didnt have any lady fingers so i used victoria sponge and it tasted absolutely delicous mashallah

    May allah reward you and shower you with his mercy. Ameen ❤❤❤

  14. Assalamualaikum – I love tiramisu but you’re right, it usually contains alcohol in it. So i am very happy that you offer alcohol-free tiramisu recipe that I can try. Now to get creme fraiche and that alcohol-free vanilla on my shopping list, I will make it and let you know. Thank you!

  15. One third of a cup of milk made it runny rather than creamy, so somethings wrong with the ratios :/

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