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Individual tiramisu portions without the wait! Using soft Amaretti cookies means that this quick and impressive dessert is ready much faster, without a long wait for the cookies to soften. Seriously good with the creamy texture and rich flavour we all love!
If you are a fan of no bake desserts, take a look at this gorgeous British pudding Citrus and Vanilla Bean Posset.
I’m on a bit of an Italian kick and this time I bring to you something dolce. What comes to mind mind when anyone thinks of a classic Italian dessert? Tiramisu, of course! Every Italian restaurant has it on the menu and it’s a frequent visitor to our house.
What it tastes like
Tiramisu quite literally means “pick me up” in Italian and refers to the incredible refreshing and invigorating quality of this dessert.
Not too many things work as beautifully together as strong espresso and silky smooth mascarpone. I call this particular recipe Instant Tiramisu because instead of traditional crisp Savoiardi ladyfingers, which take a couple of hours to soak up coffee and liquor, I used soft and intensely almond flavoured Amaretti cookies or Amaretti Morbidi.
I absolutely adore these little cookies in Tiramisu. They bring beautiful almond flavour into the mix making it even more desirable and impossible to stop eating! Also, they are little round guys and fit perfectly in the individual mason jars that I used this time.
Easy and impressive! I am still trying to wrap my head around how something so SIMPLE and QUICK could be pure Heaven.
Ingredients
One of the characteristics of true Italian cooking is that dishes generally use very few but good quality ingredients and have simple cooking instructions. This Tiramisu recipe is no exception.
Italian Tiramisu is quite a simple dessert with just a few ingredients. Ladyfingers are often used, soaked in a sweet mixture of espresso and marsala wine.
I used amaretti cookies, which are distinctively Italian but not hard to find. They have an almond flavour, and are both crunchy and chewy, which I felt worked perfectly here.
On top of the biscuits comes a creamy layer made of a mixture of mascarpone, sugar and egg yolks. Since using raw eggs could be unsafe I replaced them with whipping cream.
Traditionally, tiramisu is topped with a generous sprinkling of cocoa powder, but I decided to take things up a notch with chocolate curls!
Making chocolate curls
There is a proper way and an easy way to make chocolate curls to decorate your desserts. I prefer the simple method of scraping a chocolate bar with a cheese knife or a vegetable peeler, which creates the most beautiful chocolate shavings!
The proper way is to melt chocolate then spread it on a clean surface and let it set. Once set drag the blade of a knife across to create long chocolate curls.
Go with whichever method works best for you!
Storage and leftovers
One of the advantages of making individual portions is you can serve just the right amount and keep the rest for later. And because these are made in jam jars, just screw on the lid to keep them perfectly sealed.
They should be stored in a refrigerator and enjoyed within 3-4 days.
More individual portion desserts
Amaretti Tiramisu
Ingredients
- 20-24 Amaretti cookies, soft or crispy
- 60ml / 2 oz espresso, or strong coffee
- 250g / 1 cup mascarpone
- 250ml / 1 cup double/whipping cream
- 35g / 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 2 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
- 4 tsp rum, brandy or marsala wine
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- 4 tbsp grated or shaved chocolate for decorating
Instructions
- Make two shots of espresso if you have an espresso machine or 2 oz of very strong coffee. Divide your amaretti cookies among 4 mason jars or glasses. Pour 1/2 of espresso shot in each glass over the cookies and 1 tsp of rum or marsala.
- Whip mascarpone and cream with icing sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form, it will take about 5 minutes. Divide your mascarpone mixture evenly among 4 jars. Dust with cocoa or sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Using cream instead of eggs makes the crema far too heavy. I tried to do this in a bowl, as I normally do with tiramisù, and the crema would not spread at all; it just sat in lumps on top of the amaretto/coffee layer. I’ve used free range raw eggs for decades with no problems at all and they make for a much lighter (and better tasting) crema. The vanilla cancels out the taste of the mascarapone. The amaretto base made a nice change – although I do not understand your comment about the time savoiardi take to soak up the coffee, it’s a matter of seconds not hours.
Hi Bob, you are welcome to use raw eggs. However, many people are afraid to use them because of the fear of salmonella. That is why I provide an alternative. If your cream layer doesn’t spread it’s likely due to overwhipping. I hope this helps.
You’re probably whipping the cream for too long, overmixing makes it heavy. The consistency should stay smooth and slightly runny. Personally, I prefer the version with heavy cream because it’s more creamy, while egg whites give a slightly eggy taste that I don’t like
I can’t wait to make this recipe! Just one question – what size mason jars are those….pint?? Thank you!
It’s actually 300 ml, just a little bit bigger than 1 cup.
I made these last night for a casual dinner party and they were a huge hit! I used Grand Marnier as its what I had on hand, and grated a Lindt Chili Chocolate bar on top. They are surprisingly light and I love the portion control of the jam jars, otherwise I’d have scoffed down more than was good for me 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
I am so glad you loved them. I completely agree that portion control is everything. My husband and I had a date night in last night and we had individual creme brulee; most nights just a little sweetness is all I need!
Thanks!
Is it possible to make several of these and freeze them?
Absolutely, Dana!
it looks delish!
Thank you 🙂
Julia, just saw your new blog design – it’s BEAUTIFUL! I love it: so clean and light in color and new share buttons! 🙂 The amaretti tiramisu looks like it came from a fancy restaurant! Are you sure you made it? 🙂 Shaved chocolate looks very yummy!
Thank you! I am in love with it myself. 🙂 I included your blog in the Blogs I follow section ’cause you are awesome.
I just stumbled across this recipe and it looks amazing! (and amazingly simple) . One question: when you say ‘Icing Sugar’ do you mean Powdered Sugar/Confectioners’ Sugar? Or is Icing Sugar something different?
Hi Mags, yes all of the above are the same ingredient.