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    Home » Popular » Italian Recipes

    January 18, 2022 Baking

    Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies-Ladyfinger Cookies

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies (Lady Finger Cookies) are so easy to put together and are the perfect cookie for a coffee break! These soft and fluffy cookies are ideal for making tiramisu, trifles, and more.

    overhead image of lady finger cookies

    What Are Lady Fingers?

    Italian lady fingers are a simple cookie with a very long history dating all the way to the 1300’s. They were named after the House of Savory, Italy’s last monarchs. Originally from Piedmont, the savoiardi lady fingers also arrived in areas where the Savoys ruled, such as Sardegna and Sicily. In Sardegna, they make more of a flat savoiardi cookie. And in Sicily they are usually oval, and in some cities, they are round. In the town of San Fratello in Messina, Sicily they are called in dialect viscotta furrincotti or furrincozza.

    Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies may seem to be a little difficult to make, but they’re not as bad as you’d think. They are basically a Pan di Spagna (sponge cake) recipe in an oval cookie form. So they are little cakes that are dried out a bit with the baking and are perfect for soaking up flavors (for tiramisu) or to have them in your cookie jar to enjoy with your favorite breakfast drink. Difficult to stop at one, these Savoiardi cookies are so soft and light. Another Sicilian cookie we love are the Sicilian S Cookies!
    image of Italian ladyfinger cookies

    Making These Savoiardi Cookies

    These cookies bring back memories of my father’s hometown in Sicily and are a traditional Italian breakfast cookie. It’s a cookie that I almost forgot about eating in Sicily until my father passed away. When we went to Sicily in 2013 to bury our father in his hometown, these Italian lady fingers were what comforted me every morning with my caffe latte.

    As we would walk around town on the cold January mornings that week while we were there, we would always pass by a bakery or two. Most days it was to replenish our breakfast cookies. Once or twice a day it was to buy fresh bread to have with lunch and dinner.

    Originally published January 2019 and updated January 2022. This is part of my Sicilian food memories and part of my Project Sicilia, where I hope to share a recipe every month alongside a memory of my dad and his beloved island on the Mediterranean. An Italian Cake and grief is the post where I wrote a little about my dad and Sicily. So much time has passed and so many things have happened.

    overhead image of whipped egg whites meant for savoiardi cookies

    What’s Needed for Italian Lady Fingers

    Despite being a bit trickier to make, these savoiardi lady fingers have a remarkably short ingredients list. Here’s what goes into these Italian cookies:

    • Granulated sugar
    • Cake flour
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • Eggs
    • Vegetable oil
    • Vanilla extract
    • Confectioners’ sugar

    overhead image of Italian ladyfinger cookies on baking tray

    How to Make Lady Fingers

    I’ve shared detailed instructions on how to make Italian lady fingers in the recipe card below, but here are the basic steps for making this recipe, followed by my top tips and tricks.

    1. Add the granulated sugar to a food processor and process for 15 seconds, or until slightly powdery.
    2. In a bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together until thick and creamy./li>
    3. Add the oil and vanilla, followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
    4. Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
    5. Dust the lady fingers with confectioners’ sugar, then wait 3 minutes before dusting them again.
    6. Bake the Italian lady fingers until they puff up, turn lightly golden brown, but are still soft.

    Can You Use All-Purpose Flour?

    No, cake flour works best in this recipe.

    How to Store Lady Fingers

    These Italian lady fingers can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for up to 4 weeks.

    overhead image of Italian ladyfinger cookies

    Tips for Making Savoiardi Lady Fingers

    Be sure to beat the eggs and sugar together for a solid 8 minutes. It seems like a long time, but this step is very important for achieving lady fingers’ delicate texture.

    Don’t skimp on the confectioners’ sugar when dusting the unbaked lady fingers. The confectioners’ sugar is what gives the cookies their characteristic crispness.

    Lastly, it’s important that you let the savoiardi cookies cool completely on the baking sheets before enjoying them. Again, this ensures that they crisp up perfectly.

    More Italian Cookie Recipes:

    • Italian Rainbow Cookies
    • Italian Lemon Knot Cookies
    • Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
    • Sicilian Fig Cookies
    • Italian Ring Cookies
    • All of my cookie recipes!

    One last thing…I promise!

    Just a quick request: if you enjoyed the recipe as much as we did, would you kindly leave me a 5-star rating and a short (or long!)comment–the ratings are what helps get my recipes and hard work discovered, so I can keep leaving you more delish recipes!

    Your comments mean the world to me….and I really SMILE when I read them. Thank you so much! XX

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    5 from 11 votes

    Lady Finger Cookies (Sicilian Savoiardi Cookies)

    Lady finger Cookies are so easy to put together and are the perfect cookie for a coffee break! These soft and fluffy cookies are ideal for making tiramisu, trifles, and more.
    Prep Time1 hr
    Cook Time8 mins
    Total Time1 hr 8 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Cookies
    Servings: 36
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 4 cups cake flour
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 6 large eggs , at room temperature
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (may need more for serving)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
    • Place sugar in a blender or food processor and process for about 15 seconds until a fine consistency. Sugar will be slightly powdered.
    • Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Using a mixer bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 8 minutes, until thick and pale.
    • Gradually beat in oil until incorporated. Beat in vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop mixer to scrape the sides of bowl.
    • Add flour and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until batter is smooth, stopping mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
    • Grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
    • Spoon batter into pastry bag and pipe 3 1/2-inch logs onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart.
    • Sprinkle the cookies with some confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait 3 minutes. The sugar will glisten. Dust on another portion of confectioner’s sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
    • Bake in batches(slide the first sheet into the oven as soon as you’ve piped), for 7 to 8 minutes, until they puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
    • Cool completely on the sheets on a cooling rack, and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula (or pry off the parchment, if using). Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Crunchy Creamy Sweet says

      January 28, 2019 at 6:28 pm

      I can't wait to make these! Homemade ladyfingers sound delicious!

      Reply
    2. Jamie Sherman says

      January 28, 2019 at 6:45 pm

      These sound so delicious! I can't wait to try them!

      Reply
    3. Jennifer Baver says

      January 28, 2019 at 6:23 pm

      5 stars
      These look like the perfect companion for my morning coffee! So yummy!

      Reply
    4. Chrissie Baker says

      January 29, 2019 at 7:25 am

      5 stars
      The recipe is too good and yummy...Thanks for posting it!! Thanks

      Reply
    5. Gust și Aromă Moldavia says

      January 29, 2019 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! I love savoiardi! These look fabulous! Should try them with my daughters!

      Reply
    6. Grab a Plate says

      February 09, 2019 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      These are lovely! I need to try this recipe sooner than later! How yummy!

      Reply
    7. Vivian Iannotta says

      July 22, 2019 at 6:38 pm

      5 stars
      thank you for this recipe I can't wait to make them.I will write you again to let you know how it worked out.

      Reply
    8. Peggy says

      May 17, 2020 at 9:03 am

      5 stars
      Nice recipe. Taste is very good. These resemble something I make called sugared egg cookies, called kiechel. They have a little more texture than Savoiardi made with potato starch and are a very good side to a cup of coffee. The only thing I noticed is they didn’t crackle up on top like yours did..perhaps a little more baking powder.. I put 2 layers of confectioners as you instructed. Didn’t brown as much on top as on bottom and baked in middle rack. My oven is calibrated. I tried granulated sugar on top of a couple and was just as good.. nice taste and light!!!! Any suggestions for a better crackle?!Thanks.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        May 18, 2020 at 4:29 pm

        HI Peggy-every time I bake them, the crackle looks a bit different. Sometimes it looks for me just perfect (my husband says I'm being too picky and it's always perfect). I try to slowly add on the powdered sugar. I think sometimes I maybe rush and that's why it doesn't leave a nice layer to form that crackle. Nice that you used granulated sugar!! Happy Baking!! XX

    9. Marci says

      August 22, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      Have you ever used butter instead of vegetable oil in these cookies?

      Reply
      • Lora says

        August 22, 2020 at 3:43 pm

        Hi Marci-no, I have not tried them with butter.

    10. Joanna Schoff says

      January 23, 2022 at 9:15 am

      I adore the story of your father and love the project you are doing. I hope to make these cookies and share them with with my people.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        January 23, 2022 at 9:55 pm

        Hi Joanna-Thank you so much for the kind comment! I hope you do get to bake them and that your people love them! XX

    11. Daniel says

      January 30, 2022 at 2:04 am

      5 stars
      I used to love these when i was a kid and used to sleep by my grandparents house in Bushwick Brooklyn and we used to go to Circo's italian bakery on Knickerbocker avenue and Hart street(it is still there run by the same family) to buy them!

      Reply
      • Lora says

        January 30, 2022 at 8:25 am

        Hi Daniel-Thanks for the kind comment and sharing a great memory of these cookies! I bet Circo's makes really great Savoiardi (so cool they're still there!!). XX

    12. Liz says

      February 04, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      Wonderful memories of my Sicilian childhood. My nonna made this for us as kids. An easy recipe and these cookies are delicious!

      Reply
      • Lora says

        February 04, 2022 at 4:29 pm

        Hi Liz-thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed these special cookies!! So happy it brings memories of your nonna. Happy Baking! XX

    13. Linda Tonkinson says

      December 23, 2022 at 5:50 pm

      I will try these and was wondering if the dough could be chilled firme. can it be rolled slightly and be cut into
      1x3 inch rectangles.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        December 25, 2022 at 8:25 am

        Hi Linda-I never chilled and rolled this into rectangles. You could try! Let me know how it turns out!

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    lora and gabby

    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

    More about me →

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