Ladyfingers (Vegan)
Light, airy, and delicately sweet, these ladyfinger cookies are the perfect sweet treat on their own or as the foundation for a rich, indulgent tiramisu. With their soft, delicate texture, they are a wonderful addition to layered desserts or enjoying alongside a freshly brewed cup of coffee or tea. Best of all, they’re quick and easy to make with simple pantry staples and are entirely dairy- and egg-free.
What you need:
The ingredients for these homemade ladyfingers are all pantry-friendly staples. I’ve made these cookies with both aquafaba and tofu water, and they both turn out beautifully. The tofu water just needs a bit more whipping time, but in a taste test, I couldn’t tell the difference.
Ingredients:
- all purpose flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- coconut cream (the white cream from a chilled can of full fat coconut milk)
- vanilla extract
- aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) or tofu water (liquid from a block of firm tofu)
- cane sugar
- cream of tartar
- powdered sugar
How to:
Prep work:
The first step is to make sure you have a chilled can of full fat coconut milk. Place an unshaken can of coconut milk in the refrigerator 24 to 48 hours prior to making the cookies. You want the white, creamy stuff at the top of the can. Don’t worry about wasting anything, the leftover coconut cream can be store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use along with the coconut water at the bottom of the can.
The wet ingredients:
Bring the wet ingredients together by adding the coconut cream, vanilla extract and half of the cane sugar to a small bowl. Stir the ingredients together until well combined and then set the bowl aside for later.
The dry ingredients:
Next, bring the dry ingredients together. Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and baking powder to a small bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined and set the bowl aside for later.
The whipped aquafaba or tofu water:
If using aquafaba – add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. Whip the aquafaba and cream of tartar on high speed for 2 minutes. It should be all white and foamy. Add the other half of the cane sugar to the bowl and continue whipping on high speed for another 3 minutes. The aquafaba should be stiff, white, and glossy, and if you turn the bowl upside down, it should not move.
If using tofu water – add the tofu water and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment. Whip the tofu water and cream of tartar on high speed for 5 minutes. It should be white and foamy. Add the other half of the cane sugar to the bowl and continue whipping on high speed for another 8 to 10 minutes. The tofu water should be white, stiff, and glossy and if the bowl is turned upside down, it should not move.
To bring the batter together, remove the bowl from the stand mixer, pour the wet ingredients over the whipped aquafaba (or tofu water) and then sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. Gently fold all of the ingredients together just until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed. The batter with be shaggy, thick and tacky.
Piping the cookies:
Place the batter in a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the cookies onto a parchment lined pan. Depending on how big your pans are will determine how many pans you will need. I was able to pipe 14 cookies per pan. Pipe the cookies between 3 and 4 inches in length – I piped mine 3.5-inches. To help, I marked my parchment paper to keep the cookies uniform. Try to pipe the cookies about an inch apart. Only pipe one pan of cookies at a time, leaving the batter in the bowl or piping bag at room temperature until you are ready to pipe the next pan of cookies.
Baking:
Once the cookies are piped, dust them with a little powdered sugar and bake them at 350F for 13 minutes. The cookies should be set and spring back when touched. Allow them to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Serving and storing:
Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, dust them with a little powdered sugar and serve. If using the cookies for Tiramisu, they can be made a day or two in advance and stored in an airtight container. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 5 days.
Alright, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Ladyfingers (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp coconut cream – the thick white cream at the top of a chilled can of full fat coconut milk (do not shake the can, make sure to chill it 24 to 48 hours prior to needing it)
- ½ cup (100 grams) cane sugar – separated into 2 portions of 4 tbsp
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup aquafaba -liquid from a can of chickpeas (one can should be enough) Or tofu water -the water from a block of firm tofu (one block should be enough)
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- powder sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Wet ingredients
- To a small bowl, add the coconut cream, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of cane sugar; stir until well combined and set aside.
Dry ingredients
- To a small bowl, add the flour, cornstarch and baking powder; whisk to combine and set aside.
Making with Aquafaba
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Whip the mixture at high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of cane sugar to the now white and foamy aquafaba. Continue whipping on high for another 3 minutes. ***The aquafaba should be white, glossy, stiff and if you turn the bowl upside down, it will not move.
Making with Tofu Water
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment, add the tofu water and cream of tartar. Whip the mixture at high speed for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of cane sugar to the now white and foamy tofu water. Continue whipping on high for another 8 to 10 minutes. ***The tofu water should be white, glossy, stiff and if you turn the bowl upside down, it will not move.
Batter
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, add the coconut cream/sugar mixture to the bowl and then sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. Gently fold everything together just until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed.***The batter will be shaggy and tacky.
- Add the batter to a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip. Pipe the cookies onto a prepared cookie sheet. Pipe 3.5-inch-long cookies and space them about 1 inch apart. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar before placing them in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 13 minutes or until set – when you touch them, they bounce back a little. ***If you cannot bake all of the cookies at one time, leave the batter in the bowl or piping bag at room temperature until you are ready to pipe more cookies.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
