Amaretti Tiramisu

I have eaten many delicious gluten-free desserts, but I never thought I would taste Tiramisu again. Then I spotted these tiny Italian cookies made almost entirely from ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. These amaretti cookies are the Italian version of macaroons, which are very popular here in France. They are quite similar in texture to ladyfingers and turn out to be a wonderful replacement for ladyfingers in your Tiramisu recipe!

If you can’t find any amaretti cookies among the imported foods at your grocery store, you can try making them yourself by following Mario Batali’s recipe or doing a quick search for a recipe on the Web. This Tiramisu will feed a crowd, so if you are serving a small dinner party, consider halving the recipe and doing two layers instead of three in a glass pan. Enjoy!

• 18z amaretti cookies (gluten-free)
• 500 g mascarpone cheese (about 2 cups)
• 2 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• 1 C strong coffee
• ½ C dark rum, Kahlua or brandy based cream liqueur

In a large mixing bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream and powdered sugar. Beat the mixture with until you get medium peaks (it should be easily spreadable, not stiff like butter).

In another bowl combine the coffee together with the rum. Soak 1/3 of the amaretti cookies in the coffee mixture for a few seconds, then place them in the bottom of a round trifle dish. Top the amaretti cookies with a third of the mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle 1 T of cocoa powder over the mascarpone layer. Repeat the process 2 more times, ending with a dusting of cocoa powder over the last mascarpone layer.

Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.