Tiramisu fans, rejoice! These little cookie cups are a delightful way to enjoy the sweet coffee-soaked treat in a keto-friendly way. They are easy to make and great for sharing with friends. But be forewarned, you may want to keep them all to yourself.
Like anyone with tastebuds, I love the classic Italian layered dessert. And of course I have a wonderful keto tiramisu recipe that I adore. I also have a thing for little bite-sized desserts that I can take to parties and get togethers. Keto Cheesecake Bites are a particular favorite amongst my friends.
This recipe for Tiramisu Cookie Cups has been on my blog for a very long time. It’s one of those old neglected keto desserts that I had all but forgotten about. I am not sure why it caught my notice again, but I am glad I did.
I re-made them, tweaked the recipe just a touch, and took them to a potluck at my gym. They were a huge hit and disappeared completely by the end of the night. I only wish I’d thought to save a few for myself!
Why we love this recipe
- Tender cookies: The cookie crust is delightfully tender but still has some crispness to it.
- Creamy filling: These cups are fill with a delightfully creamy mascarpone mousse.
- Delicate coffee flavor: Just like real tiramisu, these cookie cups have a little espresso to offset the other flavors.
- Easy to make: Everything comes together quickly and easily!
- Low carb: These are a great low carb treat for any occasion.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Use a good, finely ground almond flour for the cookie cups for the best texture. If you need to be nut-free, you can try using sunflower seed flour, but you will need to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
- Sweetener: If you want the cups to have some crispness, you need to use an erythritol based sweetener. But the filling should be made with powdered sweetener.
- Mascarpone cheese: This creamy Italian soft cheese has a naturally sweet taste. Most brands are made with cream so they have almost zero carbs per serving. But a few brands do have some carbs so make sure to read your labels.
- Heavy cream: This gives your tiramisu filling a light, mousse-like texture.
- Espresso powder: Instant espresso powder adds just the right hint of coffee.
- Sugar free coffee liqueur: You can also use a tablespoon of dark rum.
- Cocoa powder: Dusting the finished tarts lightly with cocoa powder, just like the classic dessert!
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, baking powder and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Prepare the cookie dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the butter, egg, and vanilla until the dough comes together.
- Form the cups: Roll into approximately 1-inch balls and place into the prepared mini-muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each mini-muffin cup.
- Bake the cups: Bake at 325ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown and the cookie cups are puffed up a bit. Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then gently press into the centers with a blunt rounded implement to reform the wells. Allow to cool completely, then gently loosen with a knife to remove from the muffin pan.
- Beat the mascarpone: In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone on medium low until smooth. Don’t over-beat, as it may separate. Beat in the sweetener and coffee liqueur until just combined.
- Whip the heavy cream: In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully fold into the mascarpone mixture.
- Pipe into the cups: Spoon or pipe filling into cooled cookie cups. Sift cocoa powder over top and refrigerate 20 minutes to firm up.
Tips for Success
Mascarpone is more finicky than cream cheese because it doesn’t have any fillers or emulsifiers. So you need to be very careful not to over-beat it or it will curdle and separate. Just beat it on medium low long enough to smooth it out.
If you don’t have any mascarpone, you can use 4 ounces of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of sour cream. You can use all cream cheese but it tends to be much heavier.
If your mini-muffin pan is not very non-stick, I recommend using parchment or silicone mini muffin liners.
Sweetener options: As noted above, you will want an erythritol based sweetener if you want a cookie that has a bit of crispiness to it. Allulose sweeteners or blends with allulose will make the cookie very soft, and it may cause them to darken more. Keep your eye on them if you use it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cream cheese and mascarpone are not the same thing, although they do have some similarities. They are both soft cheeses with a very mild flavor. However, mascarpone is made entirely of heavy cream, with a rich buttery flavor. Cream cheese is a mixture of cream and whole milk, and has a tangier flavor. Additionally, most commercial cream cheese contains stabilizers such as xanthan gum.
You can make these cookie cups 1 to 2 days in advance. Because of the creamy filling, you need to keep them refrigerated until ready to serve. You could also make just the cookie cup part well in advance and freeze them, unfilled. Then you can fill them an hour or two before serving.
This keto tiramisu cookie cup recipe has 5.5g of carbs and 2.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.5g net carbs for 2 cookie cups.
Espresso Powder
This super-fine instant espresso powder can really improve your baked goods. It also boosts the chocolate flavor in other recipes. I love the King Arthur Baking espresso powder.
Keto Tiramisu Cookie Cups
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Cups:
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) erythritol sweetener
- 1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (85.21 g) butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Tiramisu Filling:
- 6 oz (170.1 g) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sweetener
- 1 tbsp sugar-free coffee liqueur, (or dark rum)
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) whipping cream, chilled
- Cocoa powder for sprinkling
Instructions
Cookie Cups
- For the cookie cups, preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a mini muffin tin (24 mini-muffin capacity).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the butter, egg, and vanilla until the dough comes together.
- Roll into approximately 1-inch balls and place into the prepared mini-muffin tin. This recipe will make exactly 24 so if you've made your balls too big or too small, go back and redistribute the dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each mini-muffin cup. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown and the cookie cups are puffed up a bit.
- Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then gently press into the centers with a blunt rounded implement to reform the wells. Allow to cool completely, then gently loosen with a knife to remove from the muffin pan.
Tiramisu Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone on medium low until smooth. Don't over-beat, as it may separate. Beat in the sweetener and coffee liqueur until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully fold into the mascarpone mixture.
- Spoon or pipe filling into cooled cookie cups. Sift cocoa powder over top and refrigerate 20 minutes to set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Tiramisu is a favorite so these are on the top of my list!!!
And love the new look to your page!
I a making these tonight but in a tart pan, I set aside some of the dough to make a few cups later. as I was reading instructions for the filling it stumped me for a quick second until I realized you meant to type ‘whip’ **7. For the filling, ship cream with powdered erythritol until it forms stiff peaks. Stir in coffee liqueur and stevia extract.**
I am sure these will turn out perfectly just as all your recipes do! 🙂
Carolyn,
May I email you?
Of course. Email is on contact page.
How would you convert the almond flour with these? My son has allergies to nuts. With other recipes I’ve been swapping coconut flour. But I’m not sure that would work with these.
Sunflower seed flour might work. Coconut flour would not because it absorbs too much liquid.
Hi there. Love the cute little things!
Wanna try making them but is it possible to use regular sugar in this recipe? Would it be the same amount?
Also what is stevia extract? Never heard of it here on Asia? Can we replace that with anything else?
Can’t wait to try these !
Hi there. Yes you can use sugar. Stevia extract is a sweetener so skip it and do about 1/2 cup sugar in the cups and 6 tbsp sugar in the filling. Hope that helps!
I don’t have a mini muffin pan. Would the dough hold it’s shape if I baked it free form? If not, which would be better? Baking them in a regular pan and making larger tiramisu cookie cups OR baking the cookies small and round and making a cookie sandwich with the filling?
Ooooh, I like the sandwich idea! I think that these will rise and puff too much to do free-form.
I can’t buy marscapone anywhere near me and don’t have time to make, could I use cream cheese instead?
Sure!
Just FYI I made these tonight and used a level tablespoon of dough for each cup and it worked out perfect! 🙂
So glad you liked them, Sarah.
Carolyn..I saw these on Pinterest many times the past few days an thought “I’ve got to get over there and get the recipe!” They look and sound sensational, and frankly..I need to start cutting sugar and carbs from my diet (not my blog lol) because I want to eat healthier. I’m already planning on your mango creamsicles… soon!
OMG love these!!! You know I love bite sized treats, did you make these just for me….wishing I had some right now!
Great flavors 🙂