italian dessert recipes

Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake

all-purpose flour

baking powder

salt

sugar

eggs

orange zest

lemon zest

milk

olive oil

toasted,

Powdered sugar, for sifting

orange peel

orange blossom water, optional

oranges, segmented

pink grapefruits, segmented

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.

To make the citrus compote: Stir the orange peel, blossom water, and 2 tablespoons of accumulated juices from the segmented fruit in a small bowl to blend. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments decoratively in a wide shallow bowl. Pour the blossom water mixture over. Cover and let stand 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Cut the cake into wedges and spoon the citrus compote alongside.

Made two of these today to give away as gifts. I made a tester cake so I would be able to taste it, as this was the first time making or tasting this. This is really tasty. The citrus flavor is very subtle. Even after making this with citrus infused extra virgin olive oil and using more orange zest than originally called for, it was still very subtle. I, however, did not make the citrus compote and it was still delicious.

Yummy! I don't like super sweet desserts and I had some lemon and orange olive oil i needed to use, so this was perfect. I didn't have almonds so I threw in a handful of toasted unsweetened coconut (I know it's not Italian! and it was good. Added a little texture. I also baked 15 minutes longer but maybe should have just gone with 10. It ended up a little dry around the edges. And finally, I made a confectioner sugar glaze with clementine juice and a tad of almond extract. Not a lot, just enough to drizzle on top.

Oh and another tip, when it comes to integrating the olive oil into the cake, treat it like a homemade mayonnaise and take Anne Burrell as an example: very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the fluffy egg mixture. This way you get an emulsion, so no pool of oil on the surface of the egg mixture just a very smooth batter and a very fluffy moist cake to boot!
I would recommend this cake to anyone, I am even going to try it as a birthday cake, possibly with a grapefruit frosting! Giada your desserts are always spectacular! Keep them coming! 


This is great recipe! I didn’t do the compote, but cooked some various citrus in sugar and water to eat with it. It was really great because it wasn’t too sweet. It was also really moist and nice inside. Overall no complaints

Amazing cake, the best olive oil cake I have ever tried. The first time I baked it it came out a little dry it may be because I left it too long. The second time I tried it as a last minute substitute as Easter cake as my original cake didn't pan out and I had only salted butter. I made a few adjustments, I added an extra egg yolk because I was using medium eggs, I did not have any milk so I used fat free yogurt which I added alternating with the flour and finally I only had whole almonds so I omitted the flaked almonds but added whole toasted almonds to the finished cake ( I used icing sugar mixed with a little amaretto liqueur to 'glue' them) and finally dusted with icing sugar. Everyone raved about the cake and it was gone within seconds!! 
To anyone worried about the cake drying out maybe substitute yogurt/sour cream for the whole milk and use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford you will not be disappointed!!

Wow. So delicious, not to sweet, moist and fruity! Best cake I have baked so far, for sure. It just has this amazing flavor thats hard to describe. Definitely baking this again. Fruit compote is awesome. Just the perfect side to this gorgeous cake, it brought out every fruity undertone the cake had: amazing combo! Oh and I added a pinch of salt to the compote, just taking Alton's tip about grapefruits, but all the credit still goes to Giada!

I baked the cake in an 8" pan as directed because although previous reviews warned overflows I like to follow the original recipe for the first bake. Well I did not have any over-flows, however I would suggest splitting the batter between two 8" pans and adjusting bake time accordingly, as my cake cooked perfect and moist in the center but the outer portion was slightly overdone. Not a major issue at all, and definitely an easy fix that is not worth loosing a star for. Happy Baking! Thanks Giada!


I saw this made on Lidia ‘s show but she doesn’t give quantities . So I tried Giada’s site and saw this recipe.  The only difference I made was to,separate the eggs,and beat the whites till stiff, then folded them in before baking the cake. Really light and moist. Just sprinkled 10xx sugar on it and served with fresh berries and whipped cream on the side. Excellent - not too sweet. I recommend it!

I made this cake yesterday and the flavor was great but it came out too dry.  When I made the batter it was enough for two 8 inch cake pans.  I used the zest and juice of one whole lemon and did not have an orange so used tangerine.  I also chopped up and toasted almonds into the batter.  I frosted the cake with a lemon buttercream frosting and topped that with toasted crushed almonds.  The flavor was great but very dry.

I think we missed the part where she adds the olive oil and milk to the batter, in the video. Odd

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/almond-citrus-olive-oil-cake-0177961

Giada serves her Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake with a fresh fruit compote.

Olive Oil Cake

orange juice

eggs, room temperature

orange liqueur, rum, brandy

extra-virgin olive oil,

anise seed

rosemary leaves, divided

baking soda

lemon marmalade

rosemary sprigs,

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 2 (10-inch) round cake pans.

In a nonreactive saucepan, reduce the orange juice over medium heat to 1/4 cup. Add salt, stir, and let cool.

Lightly beat eggs with paddle attachment in standing mixer on high for 1 minute until frothy. Add milk, sugar, liqueur, olive oil, reduced orange juice, lemon zest, anise and 1 teaspoon rosemary. Mix for 1 minute until well blended. Mix in the flour, baking soda and baking powder until well blended and smooth.

Pour half of the mixture into each oiled cake pan. Bake for 1 hour. Place on a rack to cool. Run a knife around the edges and place it on a plate. While the cake is still warm, smooth 3 tablespoons of marmalade onto the top of each cake. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary evenly over both cakes. Garnish center with rosemary sprig. Cut each cake into wedges and serve.

Mascarpone and Dark Chocolate Cream in White Chocolate Cups

white chocolate, chopped

bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

whipping cream

mascarpone cheese

vanilla extract

White chocolate curls,

Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners. Melt the white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon melted chocolate into each paper liner. Using a pastry brush, coat the chocolate evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the liners. Freeze until the chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Remelt the white chocolate in the bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each cup and brush over the bottom and up the sides, forming a second coat. Freeze until completely set, about 1 hour.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in top of a clean double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. At this point, set aside to cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream and sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Set the whipped cream aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, melted bittersweet chocolate, orange peel, and vanilla in a large bowl just until smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds (do not overmix). Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 2 batches. Transfer the mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the mousse into the white chocolate cups. Sprinkle the white chocolate curls over the mousse and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight, and then let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

I am inexperienced making desserts and working with chocolate, so I had several failed attempts at this recipe before I could get it right. I wish the recipe was more detailed for people like me who haven't worked with chocolate before. I actually never got the white chocolate liquid enough to spread with the brush, but I was able to do it with a small spoon and it worked out. <div>The taste is delicious, and the presentation is stunning. It wasn't an easy recipe to make, but it was worth it and I'm sure it will be a lot easier to execute next time.</div>

These came out beautifully. When you unpeel the cupcake wrapper the white chocolate has perfect ridges. Just make sure and give a heavy first coat of white chocolate. I actually used an entire 11 oz. bag of Giradhelli white chocolate and then a few more chips from another bag. I also topped with white chocolate chips instead of white curls. I also added some leftover orange zest and candied mint (just mint sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray and dipped in sugar) to the top of the mousse. The mousses looked like the could have come right from a professional pastry shop and they tasted that way, too. I upped the orange zest in the mousse to about a tablespoon. Definitely a keeper. 

After reading the other reviews, I had to try this recipe. I took them to our Thanksgiving get-together and I left with an empty platter.  They were a hit.  I used mini muffin cups, and after they were set, I removed the wrapper and turned them upside down on a plate and drizzled melted dark chocolate over the white chocolate cups and let that set up before filling the cups.  I think it made them look a little more special.

Making chocolate cups was very intimidating and I have hesitated for the longest time. I finally took my courage to make these. The white chocolate cups came out great. They looked very nice. I thought it had too much "cream" in this and not enough texture, so I added some cubed sponge cake pieces on the bottom, which was great. 

I made a double batch of these for a family gathering &amp; found them to be very labor intensive. I should have started with a single batch! The white chocolate was tough to work with on the second layer. I made some mini cupcake sizes for my grandchildren, who absolutely loved them, and would make them that size again. That's a perfect size for an amazing pop of flavor. They were a big hit with my family. They are delicious - but very rich.

With recipes like this, my co-workers fantasize about what I'm bringing to the next work potluck! This was amazing, everyone was surprised the white shell was edible. To those who had trouble with the white chocolate congealing and not melting smoothly, you may have melted it too quickly. I did for the first layer, accidently. So, I just used a butter knife and applied it like "spackle" to the cups. After that froze, the next batch of chocolate was better. I heated that on the double boiler SLOWLY, low-med heat. It ended up smooth and able to be applied with a pastry brush. Good luck and have fun wowing your family/guests!
P.S. I used regular cream cheese and it was delicious. I love mascarpone, but with the comments of the mousse being difficult I used cream cheese. I'm much more experienced with it.

I confess to cheating on this one.  I purchased the chocolate shells at a gourmet shop, which made this quite easy.  I think it was my fault (mascarpone maybe should be at room temperature??) but my filling's texture was not what it should have been.  The whipped cream did not fold in well at all, so the filling was not light and airy but dense.  With that said, the flavor was lovely.  My guests picked up on the orange zest and really like the taste.



LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM... The only problem is that I didnt make enough.

This recipe is so yummy! My mother-in-law is wanting these instead of a birthday cake.... This recipe might be a little timely but soo worth it.. I don't put any orange peel in mine though! So yummy!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/cream-filled-chocolate-cups-0222684

Giada fills white chocolate cups with dark chocolate and mascarpone cream.

Cream-Filled Chocolate Cups

Struffoli

flour,

lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

fine sea salt

white wine,

Canola oil,

honey

lemon juice

hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Sugar sprinkles,

Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).

In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.

Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.

How far in advance can you make them....and how do you store them.?

I’ve been making and eating struffoli since I was a kid in the 1980s. My grandmother and my mom (who learned from my grandmother) always made them during the holidays. This is one of the best recipes for them that I’ve seen. My boyfriend and I have made this particular struffoli recipe two years in a row now and we love them. I think they come out perfectly and taste delicious. 

not to be a noodge, but what if you don't have a food processor?

Even my Italian (Calabria) husband likes these better than the ones his mother used to make.  They are lighter and not as doughy.  The added citrus is delicious.  I don't like the taste of honey so might make some for myself with powdered sugar.  One problem --  why did the sticky honey disappear?  I cooked the honey/sugar mix exactly as outlined.  The next day, they were no longer sticky.

Perfect! This is EXACTLY what struffoli is suppose to taste like, thank you for sharing this recipe Giada! It's a very time consuming recipe, but easy to do and definitely worth it! For anyone making this for the first time, I highly recommend you divide the chilled dough into about 6-8 balls, and then roll them out into snake like shapes (about the width of a slim finger. Cut the rolled out dough into little pieces, they will look like squares/rectangles when you cut them. You do NOT need to roll all of them into little balls!! They will puff up into round shapes once they hit the oil, I PROMISE! Don't waste your time rolling! :

<div>These are a throwback to my childhood. My Aunt used to make them every Christmas Eve and I've always wanted to try them but was afraid of the level of difficulty.  Although they are  little time consuming, they were easy to make.  The flavor is perfection!!</div><div><div><ul><li><div></div><div>0</div></li></ul></div></div>

GLUTEN FREE!!!! I grew up on these...my Noni called them Chichad (I think after the Cici beans that they resemble). I haven't had them in years because I can no longer eat wheat.  I made the recipe exactly as written except I substituted Pamela's Gluten Free Artisan All Purpose Flour (blue bag).  They are perfect and amazing.  My family had no idea they were gluten free!!!!!!

Excellent! I omitted the hazelnuts and used Limoncello instead of white wine.

What is the substitute to make this recipe gluten free? I use this recipe every year but was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/giadas-struffoli-dessert-0173480

Giada's making struffoli, balls of honey-coated fried dough and hazelnuts.

Giada's Struffoli Dessert

These Tuscan cookies are a Christmas classic. They're nutty, lacy and crisp, as well as deceptively simple to make. Drizzling them with chocolate turns them into the perfect holiday indulgence.

Florentines (Italy)

almonds

orange (about 2 tablespoons)

heavy cream

corn syrup

unsalted butter

semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping: Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.

For chocolate decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Love the taste of these cookies, but boy they are not the easiest to make! I agree the directions are very confusing. I read all the reviews twice, then hand wrote the tips.  I cooled the batter about 30 SECONDS, but still had a dry dough that was very difficult to work with.  Couldn't really roll the dough into balls -- sort of 'squeezed' it together.  I used convection bake and watched the baking very closely.  Times varied depending upon the type and size of cookie sheet I used.  I removed the cookies while still on the parchment paper immediately from the pans to cook on racks.  After 5 mins the cookies were firm and cool and lifted right off the paper.   I'd probably make them again, but ---------buying them is a lot easier:-)

Great recipe, great taste.  But mine really spread out when I baked them.  Took a few batches to get this correct.  I actually wonder if there's too much liquid in the recipe; maybe they shouldn't spread out quite so much?

I made this exactly as directed and my cookies came out beautifully and were absolutely delicious. I routinely get florentines from my grocery store and finally decided to try making them. I never expected them to turn out so well on the first try. The only alteration I made was to do half the amount of orange zest since I’m not a huge citrus person. I thought it was perfect. I also miraculously got exactly 32 cookies. Not sure they were all quite 6 inches but I did measure out a tablespoon of dough for each. I would consider using a little less butter next time as the cookies were quite greasy to the touch. (Tho the texture and taste were perfect.) Not sure why others are complaining about the dough being dry. It did dry out/get kind of crumbly by the time I got to the last half of the cookies but I had no problem forming balls out of it. 

The flavor is great but oh my lord the DRYNESS. This was my 3rd time trying this recipe and I've always had some issues, but at least the last two times I could bake them and they came out to a tasty brittle. This time I tried waiting longer for the batter to actually cool, the 30 minutes that was listed and it was a huge mistake. I had to carve them out the bowl with my spoon they were so hard only to have them crumble in my hands when I tried to roll them into a ball. I don't know what to do.

Near disaster, dough way too dry.  Barely had enough time to roll into balls and even that was a challenge with the dough being so dry.  Sorry, thumbs down on this one.

The flavor is right on but boy does this dough dry out quickly! I couldn’t get the balls rolled quickly enough before it became unworkable and wouldn’t hold together. Only HALF of the batter came out as it should. I’ll keep looking for recipes for this one.....can’t say I approve!

Can I use milk for the Florentine recipe, instead of heavy cream?

Florentines are a very common pastry found in Danish bakeries.  The bottom is generally covered with dark chocolate. I have seen the recipe as Austrian.<div>The amount of cookies is way off.  Also a 6 inch cookie?</div><div>I made the portion in the recipe, using candied orange peel (homemade) instead of the rind.  I had to soften the dough in the microwave oven (half power 20 sec).  If it got too cold, it was difficult to form into balls. </div><div>The recipe made 25 cookies 3-4 inches across.  I baked for 5 minutes, turned the pan and watched carefully.  The cookies were done after another 3 to 5 minutes. Cooled them on the parchment paper directly on a rack for 5 minutes. The cookies cook be lifted off by hand, no spatula necessary.</div>

Florentines aren't from Tuscany. Though it isn't entirely clear where they are from, it much more likely to be a French biscuit. Many Italians (not from Tuscany) too think this to be the case. The sorts of ingredients you find in Florentines are quite far removed from typical Tuscan ingredients, but rather a lot closer to the choice of the French.

While I haven't tried this recipe yet but I have some questions. Where is the orange marmalade used in the TV presentation?  What is the actual size of the spoonful of dough, (ranges from rounded tablespoon to 3/4 teaspoon, TV presentation used level tablespoon) and TV presentation cooled cookies off baking sheets but on parchment whereas on-line recipe has the cookies cooling on baking sheets. Some clarification would be helpful. Thanks

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/almond-lace-cookies-78929

Delicate almond cookies receive an extra dash of chocolate.

Almond Lace Cookies

I love a cup of seriously strong coffee and a cannoli from an Italian bakery on Bleeker Street in Manhattan. When I am making these at home, I am holding them up to the standard of those memories. The dessert really comes together in two parts: make the shell, thin and crispy and then make a filling with serious flavor.

Homemade Cannoli

dry white wine

ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk

cinnamon

allspice

chocolate chips

lemon

canola oil, for frying

Flour,

egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Powdered sugar,

HOMEMADE CANNOLI
Alex Guarnaschelli
Best Thing I Ever Made/That’s Italian
Food Network
Allpurpose
Flour, Granulated Sugar, Kosher Salt, Unsalted Butter, Egg Yolk, Dry White Wine,
Ricotta Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Ground Cinnamon, Allspice, Heavy Cream, Semisweet
Chocolate Chips, Lemon, Canola Oil

For the shell dough: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the flour with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and the white wine and mix until it becomes a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough to fill the gap. Flattening the dough will mean less rolling later. Let it rest in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the filling.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to blend. In a separate bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the heavy cream until fairly stiff. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.

To roll and fry the shells: In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the canola oil to 360 degrees F. Meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour on a flat surface. Flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Cut the dough into fourths and work in small batches. Use any glass or small bowl that has a 3-to-4-inch diameter. Cut rounds, tracing around each one to assure the dough has been fully cut. You should have about 24 circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold. Use a little of the egg wash on the edge of each round to seal it shut and to assure it won't slide or fall off the mold before pressing it closed over the mold. Flare the edges out slightly from the mold. Flaring will allow the oil to penetrate each cannoli shell as they fry. Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mold as you submerge and fry the shell in the oil until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil, and holding the mold in one had with your tongs, gently grip the shell in your other hand with a kitchen towel and carefully slide it off the mold. Set aside to cool. Repeat with all of the circles.

To fill the cannolis: Just before serving, use a pastry bag without a tip to pipe the ricotta into the cannoli molds. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends so the cream runs through the whole shell. Dust with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar gives that little extra sweetness and added texture to the exterior. It also makes me feel like I have a professional bakery touch in my own home. Serve immediately.

These were AMAZING! Followed the recipe exactly. No problems at all. Filling must sit in fridge to firm up. Was suspicious of cinnamon amount, but it’s perfect once in the shell. 

You need to add mascarpone cheese and then this is Devine. My recipe also uses a lot more of nutmeg and It tastes more authentic!

I made this and took the treats to work, everyone raved at the flavor and crispy flaky crust of the shell, big hit!!

I'm 15 and made this recipe; it was delicious. I do highly recommend straining your ricotta. Also, when you think your dough is thin enough, KEEP ROLLING! I also used sweet Marsala wine and a few of my own touches, and it turned out amazing.

Of all the Italian recipes I have used, this is BY FAR THE MOST DISAPPOINTING. The dough was very dry, the shells wouldn’t come off the form and the filling was like eating pumpkin pie. This recipe might be great for Americans, but if you’re Italian and Grew up eating authentic foods, this recipe is gross. I’m very happy I tried it before sharing it or I would have been embarrassed. A cannoli is NOT supposed to taste like a pumpkin pie. Do not use this crap. 

Made this. My daughter added Nutella to the filling because NUTELLA and she wanted to. Anyway, these were SO GOOD! Probably the best cannoli I've ever had. The dough I made produced exactly 24 3" canoli shells. I don't know about the filling because I only filled what we needed. Will definitely make these again. Thanks, Chef Alex!

I made this and used chunks of Elite bittersweet chocolate  Best Recipe for Cannolis 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/cannoli-guarnaschelli-recipe-0186699

Alex Guarnaschelli shares her favorite recipe for crunchy, oozy cannoli.

Cannoli Guarnaschelli Recipe

For a classic Italian dessert, try Giada De Laurentiis' Tiramisu recipe: ladyfingers soaked in espresso and rum and laced with creamy mascarpone.

Tiramisu

strong espresso, cooled

dark rum

ladyfingers

chocolate

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a small shallow dish, add remaining espresso and rum. Dip each ladyfinger into espresso for only 5 seconds. Letting the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the soaked ladyfinger on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, breaking them in half if necessary in order to fit the bottom.

Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Easy to make and delicious! I used a slightly smaller oval dish. I was worried about the comment about being bland. It was far from bland.

I love this recipe. Turns out amazing and everyone loves it and is impressed. When I want to make a smaller one, I cut the ingredients in half except for the egg, I use 4 eggs. Perfect every time!

Thank you Gia<div>This is a big hit with my family and my husband's co-workers</div><div></div>

Delicouus. Flavor was spot on. However, the amount of lady fingers and custard would not be enough for a 9 x 13 dish. it was perfect in an 8 x 8.

Made this for my mom's birthday. My family loved the taste of it. 

I made it yesterday. It is delicious!!! I used cocoa powder instead of chocolate and Kahlua, otherwise I followed the recipe as it is written. Thank you for sharing it!

Made this for work. Surprisingly easy and delicious. Quite the crowd pleaser. <br /><br />I tripled the recipe to serve 18, but ended up having to, on top of that,triple the amount of rum and coffee for dipping the lady fingers in, again.

Absolutely amazing!! A big hit among friends and family too!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/giadas-tiramisu-recipe-0170365

Giada uses chocolate shavings instead of cocoa powder to top her tiramisu.

Giada's Tiramisu Recipe

all-purpose flour,

egg yolk, egg

ricotta

confectioners' sugar,

mini semisweet chocolate chips

Make the dough: Sift together the flour, granulated sugar and salt into a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and wine and mix with a wooden spoon to make a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough into a disk. Let rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

Make the filling: Whisk the ricotta in a medium bowl until smooth. Sift in the confectioners¿ sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Whisk to blend.in a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream with a whisk until fairly stuff then gently fold into the ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Zest the lemon and fold it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour while you make the shells.

Make the shells: Fill a large Dutch oven with 2 inches of canola oil; heat to 360 degrees F. meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour onto a flat surface. Dust the dough with flour and roll out slightly. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out until about 1/8 inch thick. With a paring knife, cut out 3- to 4-inch rounds using a small bowl as a guide. You should have about 24 rounds total. Wrap each round of dough around a cannoli mold, brushing with a little beaten egg to seal the seam and ensure the dough won¿t slide off the mild. Flare out the edges of the dough slightly (this lets the oil penetrate each shell as it fries). Working in small batches, hold one end of each mold and carefully add to hot oil. Fry the shells until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shells from the oil using tongs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly. Using a kitchen towel, grip the mold in one hand and hold the shell in the other. Twist the shell slightly to pull it off the mold; set aside to cool. Repeat to make more shells.

Fill the cannoli: Using a spatula, transfer the refrigerated filling to a pastry bag and snip the corner. Just before serving, pipe the filling into the shells from both sides so it runs through the whole shell. Dust the cannoli with confectioners' sugar.

Amaretto Tiramisu for Two

(2 ounces) mascarpone cheese, softened

amaretto almond liqueur

coffee

savoiardi (Italian lady fingers), each cut in half

unsweetened cocoa powder,

cookies,

Whip the heavy cream in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Set in the fridge.

In a large bowl, cream together the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and 1 1/2 tablespoons amaretto, by hand, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Fold in the whipped cream and set aside.

Add the coffee and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons amaretto to a shallow bowl and set aside.

Dip 2 of the ladyfinger halves in the coffee mixture and lay them in the bottom of a 4-ounce glass. Spoon some of the cream mixture over them, sprinkle with some cocoa powder and repeat with another layer of dipped cookie halves, cream and cocoa powder. Repeat the same process with the remaining ingredients in another glass, cover with some plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge to set for a few hours.

When ready to serve, sprinkle the tiramisu with the broken amaretti cookies and a little extra cocoa powder. 

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