Raspberries and Mascarpone, Dressed in Lace
After experimenting with the lace cookie recipes used for the sherbet dessert (below), I tried a few other recipes and came up with my own. This one I like because the cookies are pliable when they’re warm, so you can form them into different shapes. For this dessert, I made a filling with mascarpone cheese and raspberries, and shaped the cookies into little cups.
They are more caramel-y in texture and flavor than either of the other two recipes, probably because they’re mostly butter and sugar. The nuts add a nice layer of flavor too. These cookie cups could easily hold ice cream or other custard-based desserts; they make a lovely presentation and taste good too. I think of this dessert kind of like a grown-up ice cream cone.
The inspiration comes from Paula Lambert’s The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide. This recipe is a simpler variation of her Lace Cookies with Orange-Mascarpone Filling and Raspberries. Here’s my version:
Nutty Lace Cookies
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 stick butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1 egg, beaten
Mix the pecans and sugars in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until well-mixed. Refrigerate the dough for an hour. Drop spoonfuls onto a greased, foil-lined cookie sheet. They will spread like crazy, so make sure they are very far apart (I only get about 5 or 6 on a cookie sheet). Bake at 325 degrees for about 7 minutes per batch. When the cookies are done, let them cool until the foil is cool enough to handle (I have to use oven mitts). Tear the foil between cookies, and form each one into a cup shape. You can set them in ramekins or muffin tins to help them hold their shapes. When completely cool, peel off foil.
Raspberry-Mascarpone Cream
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 T. framboise or other raspberry liqueur
1/2 cup raspberries, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup sugar, divided
Toss the raspberries with 1/8 cup of sugar; set aside. In a mixer, beat the whipping cream and mascarpone cheese until soft peaks form. Add the liqueur, 1/8 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup raspberries.
To assemble: In shallow dishes, place cookie cups. Top with a scoopful of the mascarpone mixture and a handful of raspberries.