Lady Fingers

Although I know lots of people love it, I'm not necessarily a fan of tiramisu, mainly because I just don't care for anything coffee-flavored. However, a "non-coffee, non-alcoholic" version was served at our ward Christmas party, and we decided it would be fun to try it ourselves for our own Christmas dinner. We got the directions from our friend, bought all the "special" ingredients at the local Publix, and were all set to go. Then I remembered that one of our guests is on a gluten-free diet. I figured I'd just make her a little mousse out of the cream filling, but then decided I might as well look for a gluten-free lady finger recipe. Tada! Now she can have her own Tiramisu, and these lady fingers are quite delicious on their own; maybe the rest of the family will like them as well.

Lady Fingers

• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 5/8 cup gluten-free flour blend (regular flour works as well)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Beat the 2 egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar and beat until thick and glossy. Set aside.

In a different bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in half of the egg white mixture. Gently stir in the flour and baking powder, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pipe the batter in 1/2" by 3-4" strips on a baking sheet. (I used a Wilton 2A tip.) Dust with powdered sugar just before baking. (This helps the cookies rise higher.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen.

This recipe dirties a lot of dishes and makes a big mess (mainly because getting the batter in the piping bag is messy), but it's not a difficult recipe, and the results are quite delicious. We'll see how they work in Tiramisu!