Strawberry Tiramisu

Clearly I survived the tornado...well barely...ok so I tend to overreact sometimes...whatever.

This dessert is something I really just dove into (boy do I wish that were literally). I like things that are different or unexpected. I love to try to put a twist on things that are classic. I had spotted a strawberry tiramisu recipe online but I just didn't like the recipe...I searched and found nothing and decided to take it upon myself...

Trust me, I am not usually this brave (see last post. tornadoes=panicked Tarrah).

I really really loved this. I don't know if thats because I really wanted to or what but I could not stay out of it. The combination of the cocoa, strawberries and coffee was just divine.

I got the idea to use vanilla wafers from a friend at work...genuis...truly genius. I had attempted to make lady fingers before (since they are impossible to find) and it was not pretty...not the kind of not pretty that all my food is...it was a disaster.

I had to experiment and tweak a lot with this one so I hope I got the final recipe right...crossing my fingers!

Strawberry Tiramisu
Dame Good

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh strawberries
12 oz box reduced-fat vanilla wafers
1/4 cup hot water
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 tablespoons khalua
8 oz marscapone cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz fat-free whipped cream, thawed
1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 oz package fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
sliced strawberries for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Begin by placing the strawberries in a food processor. Pulse until the strawberries are pureed. Line a mesh strainer with a paper towel and let the strawberry puree drain out the excess water while you assemble the other ingredients.

Mix the hot water, instant coffee and khalua in a small bowl; set aside.

With a stand mixer on medium speed, mix the marscapone, vanilla and powdered sugar until combined. Divide the strawberry puree into halves. Add half of the puree to the marscapone mixture. Mix in the instant pudding. Fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the mixture.

In a 8in x 8in square pan layer half of the vanilla wafers (about 30 wafers). Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the khalua and coffee mixture over the wafers. Spread the marscapone mixture on top of the wafers. Layer the rest of the wafers on top of the marscapone layer. Drizzle the remaining khalua and coffee mixture on top of the wafers.

Spread the reserved strawberry puree on top of the wafers. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the strawberry puree. Sprinkle the cocoa powder on top of the whipped cream. Garnish with sliced strawberries (optional).