Quick-Dipping Wafers

The line between a tiramisu-style layer that softens into cake and one that collapses into mush is measured in seconds. Dip each dry vanilla wafer into the warm espresso syrup for no more than a second — a quick in-and-out so it's moistened, not saturated. The wafers will still feel firm when you lay them down; that's correct. The real softening happens later, in the fridge: a rest of at least four hours (ideally overnight) lets the absorbed syrup migrate evenly through each wafer so it relaxes into a tender, cake-like crumb without turning to paste. Over-dip and no amount of chilling will save the texture.