Easy Tiramisu with Bourbon

This Easy Tiramisu with Bourbon is a sweet Southern twist on an Italian classic, and is perfect for both Date Night and parties!

Does anyone else get a little giddy at the thought of tiramisu?

I mean, the name itself whispers of the exotically delicious, doesn’t it?!  “Tiramisu” — just try saying it out loud without getting a little bit excited.

You can’t, can you?

This Italian sweet is both light and rich, sweet with hints of bitter– it is perfection.

Oh, and there’s a drop or two of booze in there.

You know, just to add a little something extra!

This version swaps out the more traditional rum for a little Kentucky bourbon.  (Rum isn’t really Italian anyway, is it?)  This Easy Tiramisu with Bourbon is perfect for family dinners, date nights, parties– and I can assure you, for midnight snacking!

What is Tiramisu?

First of all– what is tiramisu?!  It’s an Italian dessert made up of coffee-dipped hard cookies (called ladyfingers), and a sweet, custardy filling.  The cookies and filling are layered together, chilled, and then happily devoured.  Usually, there’s a little rum in there– but here, we’re swapping it out for bourbon!

Gathering Ingredients

To make a batch of this bourbon-licious and easy tiramisu, you’ll need– of course– some bourbon.

If you’d like to do more than sip Kentucky Whiskey, though, you’ll also need to pick up a some mascarpone— which is an Italian cream cheese that is worth looking for!  You should be able to find it in good grocery stores somewhere near the fancy cheeses.

You’ll also need some Italian ladyfingers.  Some very ambitious cooks make their own ladyfinger cookies.  I am not one of those people.

When you buy ladyfingers, there’s two kinds- a hard crunchy kind, and also a softer lady finger that’s more spongy.  Both kinds of cookies will end up soft after you dip them in the coffee mixture.

If you can find the hard ones, they should hold up better than the soft, especially if you’re letting your tiramisu sit overnight, but either cookie will work just fine!

Shopping Tip: You should be able to find ladyfinger cookies in the grocery store– either in the cookie aisle or in an international Italian aisle.

You’ll also need to grab some eggs, some sugar, a little white wine, some espresso (freshly brewed OR pre-made, either works!), heavy cream, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and maybe some berries to serve with dessert.

Making Easy Tiramisu with Bourbon

Start by making the coffee mixture.  Mix together the espresso, bourbon, a little vanilla, and a splash of white wine.  Heat the mixture up, and then stir in some chocolate.  Keep stirring until the chocolate melts.  Put the coffee mixture in the fridge to let it cool down.

Next, make a zabaglione. Next, bring a small pot of water to a simmer.  Set a heatproof bowl on top of pot, and use a hand mixer to blend together the egg yolks and sugar.  Add a little white wine, and mix until the egg mixture is twice its original size.

Then, take the egg mixture off the heat, and stir in room-temperature mascarpone.  Stir until the cheese has been totally incorporated into the eggs.

Now you’re going to make whipped cream.  Pour the cream into a chilled bowl, clean off your hand mixer’s beaters, and blend the cream until it’s whipped into stiff peaks.  Fold in the egg and mascarpone mixture.

Next is the exciting part– you’re going to put it all together!

Take the espresso mixture out of the fridge, and one by one, dip the ladyfinger cookies into the espresso.  Layer the cookies into your dish, and then pour half the mascarpone mixture on top.  Make another layer of coffee-dipped cookies, and a final layer of mascarpone.*

The tiramisu needs to chill for at least two hours!  So make this the morning before you’re serving it, or the day before.  Right before you serve this Easy Tiramisu with Bourbon, dust it with cocoa powder, and then top it with some berries if you want to!

And then, the real excitement happens– you eat!  Just make sure to check your teeth for cocoa powder after you gobble it up. Chocolate smudges on your front teeth isn’t a look that everyone appreciates.  (Personally, I think those chocolate smudges scream “My dessert was AMAZING. Be jealous.”)

*A Note on Dish Sizes and Shapes: To make things simpler, I’ve written this recipe for a medium or 8″x8″ casserole dish.  Keep in mind though– you can make tiramisu in whatever size container you want– as long as it holds the right amount of dessert. 

For deeper dishes (like bowls), you’ll need to adapt to the size of the bowl, and use more than two layers of cookies and creamy filling.  You could also break the cookies into smaller pieces, and use 6-8 ramekins (depending on the size of the ramekins).

Want more NO-BAKE DESSERTS?  Try these:

• Chile Mocha Truffles
• Chocolate Crêpe Cake with Bourbon
• Pumpkin Tiramisu

Want more BOURBON?  Try these:

• Apple Cider Kentucky Sunrise
• Kentucky Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
• Bourbon Salmon with Pecans