Ladyfingers
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 4, 2018
Time
55 minutes, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Makes about 48 cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar together in small bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and salt on high speed until very soft peaks form (peaks should slowly lose their shape when whisk is removed), 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add sugar mixture. Increase speed to high and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, about 30 seconds. Gently transfer whites to large bowl.
- Fit stand mixer with paddle and beat egg yolks, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Pour yolk mixture on top of whites in bowl, then sift flour over top. Using rubber spatula, gently fold until combined.
- Fill pastry bag fitted with ½-inch plain tip halfway with batter. Pipe batter into 3-inch by 1-inch strips, spacing them 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Sift remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar over strips. Bake until edges are golden, 20 to 24 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
Time
55 minutes, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Makes about 48 cookiesIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Fresh, homemade ladyfingers are quite unlike the store-bought variety, with a lightly sweet flavor and soft texture that allow them to stand on their own. The key to airy ladyfingers is creating a sponge cake–like batter that can be easily piped without deflating. To achieve this, we found that using all-purpose flour was a must. Batter made with cake flour didn't have enough structure to support the whipped egg whites that we folded in, and the cakes collapsed and became dense. When whipping the egg whites, we added a portion of the sugar once they'd reached very soft peaks; this helped ensure that we didn't overbeat the whites. While many sponge cake recipes call for folding the batter after the addition of each component, we folded the whipped egg whites, yolks, and dry ingredients together at once to keep the batter aerated. A light dusting of confectioners' sugar was enough to make these ladyfingers ready for dessert.
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar together in small bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and salt on high speed until very soft peaks form (peaks should slowly lose their shape when whisk is removed), 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add sugar mixture. Increase speed to high and whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, about 30 seconds. Gently transfer whites to large bowl.
- Fit stand mixer with paddle and beat egg yolks, vanilla, and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Pour yolk mixture on top of whites in bowl, then sift flour over top. Using rubber spatula, gently fold until combined.
- Fill pastry bag fitted with ½-inch plain tip halfway with batter. Pipe batter into 3-inch by 1-inch strips, spacing them 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Sift remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar over strips. Bake until edges are golden, 20 to 24 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments