For my first recipe post, I knew I wanted to do something completely me – something created from little pieces of my heart. (But not actual, literal pieces of my heart, because that’s gross.)

I decided to combine three of my great loves: coffee, tiramisu, and my main squeeze, the one and only Biscoff cookie. But this recipe also served another, darker purpose: when I take the leftovers to work, they will further my mission to infect the great state of Oklahoma with a love of all things Speculoo.

In Oklahoma there are no Trader Joe’s, and so the cookie butter phenomenon hasn’t quite caught on. Biscoff cookies are relegated to the sad bottom shelves of Wal-Mart Supercenters, where they remain – looking unloved and, in the words of a friend of mine, like “old people cookies.” I want to make one thing very clear: I will not stand for this.

I knew I wanted to really highlight how perfectly coffee and Biscoff go together, so my already nontraditional tiramisu got a little more out of the box with the addition of instant coffee granules to the cream mixture. Also, because I try to try to make things with accessible ingredients, I used cream cheese in the place of the traditional mascarpone.

Trust me, it’s still delicious. The crunchy cookies take on a soft, dreamy texture and the bitterness from the coffee and cocoa powder make this dessert rich, but not overwhelmingly sweet.

Whip up this dessert in less than twenty minutes with less than ten ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry or fridge. I made it as part of a double-date night menu, but I think it would be a hit anywhere. Serve it to company, bring it to work, take it to your weekly game night, whatever – just spread the word, alright?

Biscoff Tiramisu

1 package Biscoff cookies

2 blocks cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp instant coffee granules (I like Nescafe), plus 1 tsp for sprinkling

1-2 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

1 cup strong coffee or espresso, cooled or room temperature

1. In a small mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream (I used a hand mixer, a stand mixer or even some pretty intense elbow grease would work) until stiff peaks form, then set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and coffee granules. Whip until creamy and no “grit” from the sugar remains.

3. Working a quarter at a time, use a spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

4. In a square serving dish, (I would not use anything larger than 8×8 – you can use a bigger dish, but you would need to pick up a second package of cookies or make do with only a single layer of Biscoff) arrange the Biscoff cookies in a single layer across the bottom. Spoon the coffee over each cookie individually. Repeat this process with a second layer of Biscoff cookies – arranging them in the same pattern as the first, then spooning more coffee over each cookie.

5. Gently pour the cream cheese mixture over the top (but try not to drool). Spread the mixture to evenly cover the cookies.

6. Sprinkle the cocoa powder and coffee granules on top, maybe even crumble some leftover cookies and throw those on if you’re feeling daring.

7. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but overnight is best. I understand if you wake up at 2 a.m. and absolutely need to taste test this – I found myself stumbling out of bed this morning and sneaking a few spoonfuls of the leftovers straight out of the fridge. I am working on assembling a support group.

8. Serve right out of the fridge with a cup of hot coffee and make everyone happy.