Winter tiramisu with chocolate & pear cookies: a comforting recipe

I whipped up this tiramisu one winter evening when I was craving a comforting dessert, but without the classic coffee and ladyfinger combination. On the work surface, there was a packet of chocolate chip cookies (the real, loaded kind) and two pears that were a little too ripe to end up in the fruit bowl.

The idea came about naturally: replace the base of the tiramisu with crushed chocolate cookies, and add freshness with poached pears.

What I love about this is the interplay of textures. The chocolate cookies remain slightly crisp around the edges, but soften just enough when they come into contact with the pear juice. The mascarpone cream, meanwhile, stays light and airy if you whip the cream properly and don't overmix. And the cocoa binds everything together with a gentle bitterness.

Seasonally, pear and orange make a very "wintery" duo, and cinnamon adds a touch of warm, comforting aroma. Technically, it's simple: a quick poaching, whipped cream, and assembly in verrines. You can also adapt it: replace the pear with apple, add chopped hazelnuts, or enhance the chocolate with a few shavings.

I tested it in a "ready-to-go" version (30 minutes in the fridge) and in a "longer resting" version: the longer it waits, the softer the cookies become. It's up to you to choose your side.

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Winter tiramisu with chocolate & pear cookies

Recipe by Sylvain Renan

0.0 out of 0 votes

Type of dish: dessertKitchen: FrenchDifficulty: easy

Parts

4

parts

Preparation time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A tiramisu without coffee, built around crisp chocolate cookies, poached pears, and a light mascarpone cream. The contrast between the soft fruit, the cocoa, and the crunch of the cookies does all the work.

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Ingredients

• 200g of chocolate chip cookies (chocolate chip type)

• 2 pears (approx. 300g net)

• 1 orange (finely grated zest + 60ml of juice)

• 1 tablespoon of honey (20g)

• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 250g mascarpone of

• 200 ml of very cold, full-fat liquid cream (30% fat).

• 40 g of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 10g of unsweetened cocoa

• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

• Prepare the pears: peel them, cut them into small cubes (1 to 1.5cm).
• In a small saucepan, pour the orange juice (60ml), add the honey, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and half of the orange zest. Bring to a simmer.
• Add the diced pears and poach for 6 to 8 minutes over low heat: the pears should be tender but not mushy. Drain, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cooking syrup. Let cool slightly.
• Crush the chocolate cookies: make irregular pieces (a little powder + large pieces is perfect for texture).
• Whip the cream: in a very cold bowl, whip the liquid cream with the sugar and vanilla until you obtain a soft whipped cream (not butter).
• Loosen the mascarpone: in another bowl, work the mascarpone for 10 seconds with a spoon to soften it, then gently incorporate the whipped cream in 2 stages, using a spatula.
• Assemble the verrines (4): place a layer of crushed cookies (about 1/3), drizzle each verrine with a little pear syrup (1/2 to 1 tsp), add a layer of mascarpone cream, then a layer of pears. Repeat once, finishing with cream.
• Sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa (sifted if you have one) and add the remaining orange zest.
• Chill for at least 20 minutes. Serve chilled: the cookies will still be slightly crunchy. For a softer texture, chill for 2 hours.