ever since the fateful mention of our crowd-pleasing nutty-chocolate chip cookies in the 2017 edition of “oprah’s favorite things” list, we’ve been slinging out sweet treats to new yorkers left and right,  catapulting our small bakery into a full blown e-commerce operation. over the years we’ve shipped thousands of cookies nationwide, proudly boasting the title as the home of nyc’s best cookie.

as with many other restaurants & cafés, the pandemic presented a major hiccup— suddenly, we found ourselves left with an excess of cookies & no plan of what to do with them. enter the cookie tiramisu, our take on the classic italian dessert. rather than use traditional lady fingers, we soaked leftover cookies in espresso for an extra indulgent touch {or a stroke of genius, some might say!}

creamy mascarpone blends with velvety espresso & cocoa to serve as the perfect complement to layers of nutty chocolate chip cookies. this recipe is also perfect for parties—you could even make a batch of it the day before. trust us, it gets even better with time!

this recipe was originally published in maman : the cookbook, all day recipes to warm your heart. to try more of our family recipes & café classics, click here to order your very own copy! {Reprinted with permission from Maman: The Cookbook by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte with Lauren Salkeld. Copyright © 2021. Photographs by Linda Xiao. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.}

maman's cookie tiramisu

serves 6-8

ingredients: 

• 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
• 2 cups (480 g) mascarpone
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) strong brewed espresso, warm (about 6 shots;see tip)
• 8 maman’s nutty chocolate chip cookies (page 151) or store bought chocolate chip cookies (about 30 ounces / 840 g total)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder

in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. transfer to a medium bowl.

in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla and whip on high, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. add the whipped cream and gently fold with a rubber spatula to combine without deflating the mixture.

pour the espresso into a wide, shallow bowl. set aside half of 1 cookie for garnish. break 4 of the cookies into large chunks, add them to the espresso, and let soak, flipping once, until saturated but not falling apart, 45 to 60 seconds per side. reserve the espresso. arrange the soaked cookies on the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan, pressing down to create an even layer. spread half of the mascarpone whipped cream evenly on top of the cookies. using a small fine-mesh sieve, dust 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder over the mascarpone whipped cream.

soak the remaining cookies in the reserved espresso. use the soaked cookies, the remaining mascarpone whipped cream, and the remaining cocoa powder to create a second layer. crumble the reserved half cookie and sprinkle on top of the tiramisu. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days. serve chilled.

tip: if you don’t have an espresso machine at home, brew a dark-roast coffee or use instant espresso powder. what’s important is that you don’t forgo the espresso or coffee—its flavor is essential to tiramisu. if you prefer a bolder coffee flavor, sprinkle a little instant espresso powder between the layers.