Savoiardi Italian Ladyfingers Recipes

SAVOIARDI I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line three jelly roll pans with parchment paper. Prepare a pastry bag with a size 6 tip (1/2 inch).
• Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 of the sugar and all of the vanilla. Beat until very light colored. This will take about 5 minutes.
• In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. While beating, slowly add the salt and the remaining sugar until combined. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
• Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in.
• Fill the pastry with half of the batter and pipe 3 1/2 inch fingers, 1 1/2 inches apart, in rows on the parchment paper. Continue with the second half of the batter in the same manner.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15 minutes until firm to the touch and golden. Remove the paper and fingers from the baking sheet and place on racks to cool. After cooling, remove fingers from the paper and use, or store between layers of wax paper in a airtight container. These freeze well.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE LADYFINGERS | AUTHENTIC ITALIAN SAVOIARDI RECIPE

Steps:

• Separate the yolks from the whites. Put the first ones aside and, with the help of an electric stand mixer or an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites for a few minutes at maximum speed. When the whites start to get stiff, add the sugar. Keep to beat the egg whites until you get a very firm, shiny and hard meringue.
• Beat the egg yolks with a fork and add them to the whipped egg whites, stirring with a spatula, moving from the bottom upwards.
• Add the sifted flour and potato starch, together with the lemon peel or other flavoring of your choice (optional), and mix until you get a homogeneous mixture.
• Place the mixture in a pastry bag with a smooth and wide tip, and form sticks of about 10/12 cm (about 4/5 inch) on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. During cooking the ladyfingers will expand and swell a little, so it's important that they are spaced apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle Savoiardi ladyfingers first with the granulated sugar and then with the icing sugar.
• Bake at 200 °C (390 F) for 7 minutes. Open to let the steam out and cook for another 2 minutes. Let them cool well before using your homemade Ladyfingers for your recipes.

SAVOIARDI (ITALIAN LADYFINGERS)

Steps:

• Separate eggs into two separate bowls, making sure not to get ANY yolk into the bowls containing the whites.
• Beat egg whites on high speed until foamy.
• Add two tablespoons of the 2/3 cup of sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, Add vanilla and the rest of the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until pale yellow, set aside.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder together (I didn't want to dirty another bowl so I sifted onto a piece of waxed paper).
• Gently fold half of the egg whites into the yolks.
• Fold the flour mixture into the yolks.
• Fold the rest of the egg whites into the yolks.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Load batter into a pastry bag with a wide tip, or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
• Pipe onto a greased cookie sheet in any shape you'd like (traditionally, they are shaped like fingers, about as wide as your pointer and middle finger put together).
• Bake for 6 minutes, or until edges are just golden brown.

SAVOIARDI II

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whip egg yolks and 3/8 cup of white sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in flour and salt just until smooth. Stir in vanilla. In a separate glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until they are able to hold firm peaks. Fold egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until fully incorporated.
• Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, and shape into 3 inch long strips. Stir together the remaining white sugar and confectioners' sugar, and sprinkle half of the mixture over the tops of the strips. Let stand for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over them, and let stand for 5 more minutes.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.