I always wanted to do a take on a ricotta cookie, but I was never quite sure what direction to go with them beyond that. The idea of putting a soft cheese into a cookie dough was intriguing , just because I was always curious how that would affect a cookie’s consistency over using butter – while cheeses do contain fat, it’s weird for me to think that they can substitute butter so well. But things like ricotta zeppoli or ricotta pound cake don’t taste dry or rubbery at all, so it is definitely doable. For these cookies, I wanted to take the classic flavors of a tiramisu, and infuse them into cookies that are made with primarily mascarpone cheese, just so that they will taste exactly like a tiramisu, but with a feathery texture that just melts on the tongue. The cookies themselves are infused with coffee and a bit of cinnamon for that marsala-esque flavor, and finished with cocoa powder for that tiramisu aesthetic, similar to a snow ball or a crinkle cookie!

8oz mascarpone cheese
4oz unsalted butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup coffee concentrate
2 tbsp egg white powder
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
a pinch of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
cocoa powder

Whip the mascarpone, butter, and sugar using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer for about 5 minutes. Mix in the egg yolks, coffee, egg white powder, and vanilla first. Sift into that the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and salt. Scoop into 2 tbsp-sized balls and dust with cocoa powder. Bake, 2 inches apart, on a lined sheet tray at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Cool down before transferring to an airtight container, or your mouth, depending on if you want to eat them right away or later on!

For the coffee concentrate:
1/3 cup ground coffee
1 cup water

Simmer the coffee with water until the liquid is evaporated by 3/4ths. Pour through a fine sieve, preferably lined with a cheesecloth or coffee filter, pressing to release as much coffee as possible from the grounds. Cool down before attempting to use.