Lady Fingers Recipe
Lady fingers. If you’ve never had these sweet little fingers of goodness, you’ve got to add them to your food bucket list, if there is such a thing. They are the foundation of a good Italian dessert, like tiramisu, and are usually soaked in liqueur-y goodness to add flavor to the dessert they are in. I will admit to eating a good handful of these right after they came out of the oven (see Instagram) until I convinced myself that if I continued, I wouldn’t have any left to make the dessert they were intended for. Store bought versions include soft and hard lady fingers. Personally, I prefer the soft variety but I’m sure a homemade version of hard lady fingers would be equally amazing.
I’ve outlined each step of the process below in photojournalistic form, beginning with the first photo (how the egg yolks should look once they’re whipped) and then continuing on with the addition of flour, etc…
What’s your favorite Italian dessert? Have you ever had plain lady fingers?
SOFT LADY FINGERS RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS
*makes about 50-55 ladyfingers (enough for one dessert and maybe a few leftover to eat)
INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, divided
6 eggs, divided
2/3 c sugar
1 c flour
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Beat egg yolks until pale – they will begin to thicken. Add sugar but reserve 2 T (set aside reserved sugar). Beat yolks and sugar well until yolks thicken and increase in size. Approximately 5-7 minutes total. Add in flour and vanilla and fold in until just combined – do not over mix. Beat egg whites separately in another bowl until soft peaks form. Add 2 T sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into egg yolks in small batches. Again, do not over mix. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and working quickly, pipe ladyfingers on to the parchment paper, making them about 3″ x 1 1/2″ in size. If batter begins to spread out too quickly when piping, place batter in refrigerator for 1-2 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Beat egg yolks until pale – they will begin to thicken. Add sugar but reserve 2 T (set aside reserved sugar). Beat yolks and sugar well until yolks thicken and increase in size. Approximately 5-7 minutes total. Add in flour and vanilla and fold in until just combined – do not over mix. Beat egg whites separately in another bowl until soft peaks form. Add 2 T sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into egg yolks in small batches. Again, do not over mix. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and working quickly, pipe ladyfingers on to the parchment paper, making them about 3″ x 1 1/2″ in size. If batter begins to spread out too quickly when piping, place batter in refrigerator for 1-2 minutes.
*If baking one pan at a time, fill first baking sheet with ladyfingers, place in oven and refrigerate batter until ready to pipe second batch.
Sift powdered sugar over ladyfingers and place baking sheet in oven for 14 minutes.
*Inspired by this recipe
