The flaked salt gives an edge to the intense darkness of the brownie cookies, while the vanilla bean paste speckles the creamy tiramisu filling.
Why anyone would dare to resist these insanely tempting paleo Tiramisu Brownie Crinkle Cookies, I honestly don’t know.
With an intense chocolate flavor, slight sweetness, bitter edge of espresso, a creamy tiramisu filling, and a hint of salt, these cookie sandwiches are the perfect mouthful. The paleo tiramisu cream uses coconut butter, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste, while the brownie cookies boast a shiny, crackly crust guarding their fudgy interior.
You do not want to miss out on these. When you take a bite, you’ll not only be shook at the wonders of paleo baking, but also feel like you’ve outdone yourself. I had an internal conflict of wanting to throw a dinner party and have everyone try these for dessert, but also wanting to keep them in the back of my refrigerator all to myself. A few things to note:
A full tablespoon might sound like a lot, but you do not want to skimp on the vanilla bean paste for the tiramisu filling. Since the brownie cookie itself is already sweet, we don’t want to overwhelm the filling, so relying on the vanilla and maple syrup in their respective quantities yields the perfect balance. I would use this paleo filling recipe in donuts, macarons, honestly anything that has a sweet counterpart and could use a creamy, vanilla, coffee-flavored filling.
Wait until the cookies fully cool to pipe. Be sure to freeze the filling until it’s thick and pipe-able. For the filling to maintain its texture and shape, it should not be spread onto warm cookies or left at room temperature for too long.
In terms of chocolate, I used dutch-processed cocoa powder and Enjoy Life’s Dark Chocolate Morsels. The darkness of the cocoa gives the perfect color contract for these visually tempting cookies.
Brownie Cookies
Dark chocolate (65–70%): ~1 cup chopped
Unsalted butter: ½ cup + 1 tbsp
Finely ground coffee: ¼ cup
Espresso / strong coffee: 1½ tbsp
Caster sugar: ¾ cup
Light brown sugar (packed): ½ cup
Large eggs: 2
All-purpose flour: 1 cup
Cocoa powder: 3 tbsp
Baking powder: ½ tsp
Baking soda: 1/4 tsp
Fine sea salt: ½ tsp
Mascarpone Cream Filling
Mascarpone (cold): ½ cup
Heavy cream (cold): ¾ cup
Vanilla bean paste: 2 tsp
Powdered sugar: ½ cup
Dark rum / marsala / brandy (optional): 2 tbsp
Method:
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Have all ingredients measured and ready.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and continue cooking until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. Immediately pour the hot butter over the ground coffee and let it steep briefly. Stir in the espresso, then strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly to extract as much butter as possible.
Set the strained butter over gentle steam, add the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
In a mixer, beat the eggs with both sugars on medium-high speed until thick and pale, about five minutes. Slowly blend in the melted chocolate mixture until just combined.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then fold into the batter gently, mixing only until no dry pockets remain.
Scoop 2-tablespoon portions onto the trays, spacing well apart. Sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Bake 8–9 minutes, until cracked on top and just set around the edges. Let cool on the trays for at least 20 minutes before moving.
Mascarpone Filling
Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix briefly on low to loosen, then whip on medium just until soft peaks form (about 30 seconds). Keep it light and slightly loose if piping.
Pipe or spoon filling onto half the cookies, top with remaining cookies, and press gently to spread the cream. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Store refrigerated; bring to room temperature briefly before eating.