Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu

Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu, 1/2
Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu – recipe in post

Show of hands – who watches cooking competition shows? It’s one of my big-time guilty pleasures. I sit under a pile of blankets, with a big bowl (who am I kidding, entire tub) of ice cream, and I talk at the TV the whole time. Plate your food, you’re running out of time! 

I hate to admit it. Especially that last part, because talking at the television is, generally, a pet peeve of mine. But there you have it… the real me, pajamas, ice cream, tv-talking and all.

This “tiramisu” was inspired by (or stolen from…) watching Iron Chef America, Battle Gingerbread. In the Holiday Battle, it was not only mandatory to use gingerbread in each dish, but also to integrate eggnog in some way. In the episode, Nadia G. of Bitchin’ Kitchen created a gingerbread and eggnog tiramisu, and I thought, I wonder if that would be good?

Given, I think that a lot when watching cooking shows… but this one stuck with me, and with a little eggnog leftover from making my Eggnog Cupcakes (click for recipe) I was pretty determined to give it a try. Taking a cue from another Food Network show, I decided to go ahead and do things ‘semi-homemade’.

Ingredients 
All the ingredients you’ll need



I went out to buy pre-made gingerbread cookies, and discovered that the closest thing available were good ol’ fashioned gingersnap cookies. I used these in place of cake or lady fingers, breaking them up and mixing with a little coffee and rum – it wouldn’t be tiramisu without the caffeine and liquor!
Then I made my mascarpone cream mixture with a little eggnog, vanilla, and nutmeg. Real tiramisu, like this one (click for recipe), is traditionally made with eggs, but since I was making it easy I left them out.
To top everything off, instead of the dusting of cocoa powder, or chocolate shavings, I crumbled a few extra cookies over the top.

The end result? These were, kind of surprisingly, delicious! The spice of the gingersnaps, along with the coffee, helped to balance the cloying sweetness of the eggnog. Don’t be fooled, though, this stuff is really rich… a little goes a long way, and I found myself wishing I’d only filled the cups half-way. For the holidays, though, this would make a fine little dessert. In moderation, of course!

Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu, 2/2

Recipe Notes: Tiramisu is Italian for ‘little pick-me-up’ –  but add a little more rum and they might become ‘knock-me-outs’! If you’d like to serve these for all ages, substitute the alcohol for a few drops of rum flavoring.

Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu
Inspired by Iron Chef America Holiday Battle
Makes 8 small (but potent!) servings

10 oz. store-bought gingersnap cookies, broken into small chunks (about 4 cups), plus more for garnish
1/2 cup espresso, or dark-brewed coffee
2-3 TBSP spiced rum, or other liquor (or substitute a small amount of rum flavoring)
4 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2 TBSP eggnog
4 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method
In a bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese and eggnog. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla to stiff peaks. Fold into the mascarpone  /eggnog mixture, and set in the fridge to chill while making the rest of the tiramisu.
Stir together the coffee and rum. Break the ginger cookies into small to medium sized chunks, and place in a bowl. Add the coffee/rum mixture, and stir with a spoon to combine. Things will get a little mushy, but that’s okay.
Layer in parfait glasses or cups – one spoonful of the cookie mixture, then a dollop of the chilled cream mixture. Repeat. Garnish with crushed up ginger cookies, and set in the fridge for at least 30-40 minutes before serving. (Can be made up to a couple hours in advance, or even the day before, but I found that after sitting overnight they became quite dense.)

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13 Responses to Eggnog Gingersnap Tiramisu

  1. leaf (the indolent cook) December 21, 2012 at 12:14 am #

    Love it! Iron Chef can be so inspiring and good on you for re-creating this successfully!

  2. Courtney J December 21, 2012 at 1:29 am #

    This looks incredible! I adore tiramisu! An eggnog, ginger combination is brilliant :)

  3. JulieD December 21, 2012 at 12:46 pm #

    They are very cute!! What a combo, I agree with Courtney!

  4. Gourmet Spotting December 22, 2012 at 8:55 am #

    great recipe! and with a classic like tiramisu you can’t go wrong!

  5. moderngirlnutrition December 24, 2012 at 5:05 am #

    These are too cute- and your photography is amazing!

  6. Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes January 24, 2013 at 6:07 pm #

    How did I miss this post! Since we don’t have Cable my guilty pleasure when at a Hotel or visiting my sister is to watch the food network – I love the food battle shows, seriously if I had cable I would be addicted I probably would never leave the couch!

    • Willow January 24, 2013 at 9:57 pm #

      Heheh, they are certainly addictive! I try to limit myself to just a few episodes of whatever’s on before bed. :)

  7. Susan December 13, 2014 at 10:36 pm #

    I, too just saw this episode and I started searching for ideas. Yours seems the best, and I’m going to try for a Christmas get together! Thanks!!!

    • Willow Arlen December 14, 2014 at 1:19 pm #

      Thanks Susan, I hope you like it!

      • Susan December 19, 2014 at 9:13 pm #

        I doubled the recipe and it didn’t make enough for sixteen….not by a longshot. The gingersnap mixture was entirely too wet…and my party is tomorrow. I have to go and buy more ingredients and make more just to come up halfway in my cups.

        • Willow Arlen December 19, 2014 at 9:27 pm #

          I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m really surprised you didn’t get enough from a double batch… as you can see in the photos, I got six very full cups, and found them to be little too much for one serving each. Perhaps you’re using larger cups? The ones I used are fairly small, maybe 5-6 oz each.
          And I’m sorry to hear that your gingersnap mixture was too wet. If you prefer it dryer, you can try using half the amount of coffee/rum mixture, then add more as needed.

          I hope batch #2 turns out better for you! Please feel free to let me know if you have any more issues with it. I do my best to make sure my recipes are accurate and foolproof, so if it gives you any more trouble I’ll be sure to go back and recipe test some more to make sure others don’t run into the same issues.

  8. Sweet Leaf December 24, 2014 at 1:13 pm #

    2 Tbsp of eggnog is barely tastable much less cloying sweet … just sayin .. I skipped the liquid coffee and used the eggnog and amaretto instead of rum to boost those flavors… mixed instant expresso with powdered chocolate to get that effect. Also quadrupled everything and used half Marscapone half ricotta to make it lighter. Also left the cookies whole dipped in amaretto one layer dipped in eggnog the next topped with crumbled gingersnaps tossed with the chocolate and expresso powder. Very good flavor combo for a holiday dessert and a nice twist on typical tiramasu

    • Willow Arlen December 25, 2014 at 2:17 am #

      I’m glad you liked it with those tweaks! Using espresso powder is a great idea. I didn’t mean to say the eggnog was cloying in this recipe, I just meant that I generally find eggnog to be cloying, but that in such a small amount and in combination with the rest of the ingredients, it was just right for me. Glad you up’ed the amount to match your preference! Happy holidays!

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