Okay, summer came early here in Portland. We’re talking bright blue, cloudless skies and 80-degree weather. Since it rained EVERY DAY last June, I ain’t complainin’. Well, okay, maybe a little bit.

Because here’s the deal: I live in a teeny, tiny 1-bedroom apartment with my boyfriend Erlend. And by teeny, tiny, I mean it: our apartment is in an old Victorian-style house that’s been converted into 6 different apartments. We have half of the top floor, which used to be the house’s attic. Being an attic, the insulation is not exactly stellar. And by that I mean, it’s actually absolutely terrible. We freeze in the winter, and we burn in the summer. To top it off, we have one inconvenient heater in the living room, and absolutely no air-conditioning.

So now let’s throw that pesky little baking habit of mine in the mix. Turning the oven on in the summertime means that, whatever’s baking or roasting in the oven, we’re roasting along with it. The oven heats up the entire apartment, and no matter how many fans we turn on or windows we open, our apartment firmly remains as hot as the oven. And considering it’s June and we’ve already had a couple of 80-degree days? I have no idea how I’m going to be able to turn my oven on in July and August.

So enter Cristina Suarez Krumsick’s no-bake cookbook, No Bake Makery:

A few weeks ago, a publishing company reached out to me and asked if I was interested in a couple copies of No Bake Makery. And with summer coming up and my fear of roasting alive in my apartment becoming more realistic every day, I figured why not? I was already starting my search for recipes that avoided using my oven at all.

Thankfully, No Bake Makery eliminated all the work I needed to do — the cookbook contains 80+ different recipes for bite-sized bake treats, none of which require an oven. It’s got quite a repertoire of recipes, ranging from truffles, bark, pies, cake, pudding, candy, and cookies… all without ever having to turn on the oven.

Looking through the recipes, I knew I definitely wanted to try the no-bake tiramisu since tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts:

No Bake Makery’s tiramisu recipe did NOT disappoint. It was really more like a tiramisu parfait, layering ladyfinger crumbs with a mascarpone, coffee, and sugar cream. The mascarpone cream was absolutely addicting. I couldn’t stop eating spoonfuls of the stuff. It had the consistency and flavor of sweetened condensed milk (one of my favorite ingredients), but spiked with espresso and vanilla. Indeed, according to the cookbook, author Cristina upped the amount of espresso traditionally found in tiramisu for the recipe. No wonder I was bouncing around for the rest of the afternoon. In any case, I’m definitely looking to trying more recipes from the cookbook.

And if No Bake Makery sounds like something up your alley, be sure to join my giveaway! I’m giving away a FREE copy to one of my readers. A couple of notes:

    • The giveaway is only open for 1 week and closes on June 19, 2013 (next Wednesday) at 10:30 PM PDT. At that point, a winner will be chosen at random and notified by email shortly afterwards.

 

    • I sincerely apologize for this one, but the giveaway is for US residents only. I cannot ship abroad/overseas.

 

    • You can enter as many times as you want. So the more times you enter, the more likely you’ll win! 

 

  • I promise you that your contact info will never, EVER be shared or given to anybody else. You will only receive an email from me if you’ve been chosen as the winner. 

Still sound good to you? Cool! Fill out the form below to be considered for a FREE COPY of NO BAKE MAKERY:

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!
THE WINNER WILL BE CONTACTED SHORTLY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO CAMY H. FROM FLORIDA!!!
 

Also, feel free to share this giveaway with your friends!

As for those who came for the tiramisu recipe, don’t fret. I’ve got it for you below:

 
 
 

Get the Recipe: No-Bake Tiramisu Parfaits

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Ingredients

  • 24 ladyfinger cookies
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup brewed espresso
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Place the 24 ladyfinger cookies in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form, about 1 minute. (No food processor? No worries! Simply place the lady fingers in a ziploc bag and gently roll over with a rolling pin — the cookies are delicate enough that they'll easy crumb up.) Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup brewed espresso until the ingredients are evenly distributed and there are no lumps in the mixture. The mixture will have the consistency of sweetened condensed milk — it will seem like its too thin, but it’s fine. Trust the recipe!
  • Spoon a tablespoon of ladyfinger crumbs into each ramekin, before topping off with a tablespoon of the sugar, mascarpone, and espresso mixture (from the second step). Repeat until you’ve finished both the crumbs and cream mixture, making sure to finish the top of each ramekin with the sugar, mascarpone, and espresso mixture. You should have two layers of each mixture in each ramekin.
  • Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Just before serving, whisk together 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over each ramekin just before serving.

Notes

Adapted from No Bake Makery’s “Tira, Sue Me” Recipe
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!