No-Bake Italian Ladyfinger Cookie Sandwiches with Tomato Jam and Coconut

This is honestly one of my all-time favorite types of desserts, and for a very good reason: kids can make it. There is no baking, no fussing, no complicated technique, nothing to mess up. You just spread, sandwich, dip, roll, and done. It is the purest form of mix and match dessert making there is, and somehow it turns out absolutely delicious every single time.

Traditionally this kind of thing is made with mascarpone cheese and Nutella, and yes, that version is phenomenal, but I genuinely love exploring all the other sweet fillings you can use, because the concept is so wonderfully flexible. And for Easter? Portuguese tomato jam is truly a match made in heaven, sweet and slightly tangy, and with that unmistakable Portuguese “je ne sai quoi” perfect for the Easter season ;D

This is also known in Italy as l’Innominato, which translates to “the unnamed one” (because it is so simple and common it never really needed a proper name), this dessert is essentially the Italian kids version of a tiramisu, just stripped down to its bare, beautiful essentials. You sandwich ladyfinger cookies with something sweet and sticky, dip them in cold milk, roll them in shredded coconut, pile them in a dish, and let the fridge do the rest of the work overnight. The result is a creamy, soft, coconut coated treat that looks impressive enough for a party and is easy enough that you can make it while half asleep.

This is a recipe you can learn in 30 seconds that has no rules and no way todo it wrong. You can use whatever sweet filling speaks to you, as long as it is thick enough to hold the sandwich together. I would say maybe quince jam is the traditional Portuguese choice for this kind of thing, but this time I swapped it for tomato jam, and let me tell you, for Easter its pretty spot on. There is something about that bright, slightly caramelized sweetness of Portuguese tomato jam against the soft milky cookie and the toasted coconut that is genuinely hard to beat. Let’s check the recipe!

Servings: 4
Time: 15mins
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: ★★★★★
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Gotta love these moist and sweet ladyfinger cookies sandwiches, the are like a kids tiramisu in all the best ways, also feel free to use any kind of jam you want!

Ingredients

Ladyfinger Cookies – To Taste
Tomato Jam – To Taste
Shredded Coconut – For Sprinkling
Milk – Enough to Dip In (Cold)

Directions

Prepare three bowls, one with shredded coconut, another with cold milk, and a third for assembling the cookie sandwich.

Spread a generous amount of the mixture on one side of the champagne cookies, make sure to use the side without sugar, then place another cookie on top to form the sandwich, pressing just enough to stick the two cookies together.

Dip the cookie sandwich in the milk, this usually takes about 20 seconds, turning it over as you go. When you feel the cookie has absorbed enough milk and has started to soften (but isn’t falling apart), flip it lengthwise, let the excess milk drain off, and transfer it to the plate with the shredded coconut.

Coat it well in the shredded coconut and place it in a bowl or plastic container. Repeat until you run out of cookies or the bowl or container is full. Refrigerate to set for a few hours or ideally overnight, so it becomes really creamy, and that’s it! Serve fresh! Happy Easter!

Notes & Tips: You can use absolutely any thick sweet filling you like with this recipe, it is the whole point of it. Mascarpone, nutella, dulce de leche, peanut butter, hazelnut cream, quince jam, fig jam, any good thick preserve will work. The only real rule is to avoid anything too liquid or too thin, like honey or whipped cream, as these will not hold the sandwich together and will make a mess when you dip in the milk. Stick to something… that’s sticky heheheh and with body and you will be fine.

For the quantities above, which are the base for this recipe, 2 packs of ladyfinger cookies (about 24 cookies total), 60 g (2 oz) of tomato jam, 400 ml (1.75 cups) of cold milk, and 50 g (1.75 oz) of shredded coconut gave enough for two generous servings. That said, you can easily halve or double or triple the recipe, since there is nothing here that needs precision. Just eyeball it and have fun.

Pay attention to your specific brand of ladyfinger cookies, as some are softer and more delicate and will absorb the milk very quickly, while others are drier and firmer and need a bit more time in the milk bath. There is no one is better than the other or a universal timing, so rather than counting seconds, just press gently as they soak, and as soon as they feel soft all the way through but are not on the verge of falling apart, they are ready to come out of the milk.

I would say the overnight rest in the fridge is what truly transforms this dessert. After a few hours it is good, but after a full night it is genuinely creamy and wonderful, just like a traditional tiramisú, the coconut softens slightly, the filling melds with the cookie, and the whole thing holds together in a way that feels almost too good hehehe. If you can resist eating them immediately, wait until the next day, it is worth it.

For Easter specifically, Portuguese tomato jam or quince jam is absolutely the fillings to use here. The slightly sweet and gently tangy flavor of the jam pairs beautifully with the milky cookie and the coconut, and it just feels a bit more festive and seasonal in a way that is hard to explain but very easy to taste.

This recipe for No-Bake Italian Ladyfinger Cookie Sandwiches with Tomato Jam and Coconut was originally created on BakeAfter.com.