Sweet Ricotta Tartlets are a classic Italian dessert that will add a festive touch to any occasion. These petite pies are easy to make and require only a few simple ingredients. Feature a deliciously buttery and flaky crust, with a creamy ricotta filling seasoned with citrus, dried fruit, and cinnamon, these bite-sized treats are equal parts elegance and decadence.
The best part about these tartlets is that they are easy to customize for different occasions – as we’ll be touching on below. You can easily add a few drops of flavoring extract such as almond or vanilla to the filling, or top the tartlets with a sprinkle of chopped nuts or a drizzle of melted chocolate. For a festive touch, consider ice cream or gelato, or try decorating the tartlets with edible flowers.
These Sweet Ricotta Tartlets can be served as is, or with a variety of accompaniments. They pair well fresh fruit or a light dessert wine. For a sweeter pairing, try serving them with a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of honey. They can also be served with a cup of espresso or cappuccino.
So, if you're looking for a delicious and festive Italian dessert, look no further than these Sweet Ricotta Tartlets! Read on to get the full recipe, an ingredient checklist, pairing ideas, and some tips and tricks for making them your own.
Ingredient Checklist
- Ricotta Cheese. The base of the today’s recipe, and the star of the show. I do highly recommend using a good quality ricotta, as the flavor of the cheese comes through in every bite.
- All-Purpose Flour. All you need for the crust is basic all-purpose flour.
- Salt. A pinch of plain table salt. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Sugar. Stick to standard granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter. You want to use the butter chilled ‘and’ cubed for the purposes of the crust.
- Egg Yolks. These serve several purposes in making the crust. First, and most importantly, they help to hold the dough together and provide richness and flavor. Additionally, the fat in the egg yolks helps to make the crust flaky, light, and tender.
- Cinnamon. While I would suggest grating fresh cinnamon sticks for the recipe, pre-ground will work just fine as well.
- Grated Chocolate. Milk or dark works fine. Purely preference. Yes, a good quality coco powder ‘can’ stand in for the grated chocolate – though do note that the coco powder will spread much more evenly throughout the tartlets, giving them a ‘much’ more chocolatey flavor than is intended in this recipe.
What Makes Italian Ricotta Tartlets Unique?
These tartlets are a luscious combination of a classic Italian dessert (ricotta pie) and a traditional savory pie (also called ricotta pie). These tartlets feature flaky crust with an intense buttery flavor, which we then fill with whipped ricotta mixed with raisins, citrus, and grated chocolate. The end result is a lovely blend of savory pie crust and sweet filling.
While certainly delicious on its own, part of the appeal of this dessert is just how versatile these little gems are. They are at well at home paired alongside your favorite dessert coffee, but are equally at home paired with a sweet dessert wine.
They are also blissfully simple to get creative with, as you can top them with melt chocolate, or even coat them entirely in chocolate. You can add flavoring extracts, or top them with frosting, or whipped cream, or edible flowers.
Tips for Making the Perfect Italian Ricotta Tartlets
- Quality Ricotta. Use a high-quality Italian ricotta cheese for the filling for the best flavor. What does this mean? For starters, good quality ricotta cheese is made from fresh milk as opposed to ‘milk products,’ and has a smooth and creamy texture. It should have a mild, slightly sweet taste and be free from any off-flavors. The cheese itself should have a slightly grainy texture, which will help create a rich, creamy filling for the tartlets.
- Cold Butter. Start with a cold butter and mix the dough ingredients together quickly so that the butter doesn't melt.
- Even Crust. When pressing the dough into the muffin tin, be sure to use your fingers to press it up the sides of the cups to create a nice, even crust.
- Fill in Moderation. Don't overfill the tartlets; they should be almost full, but not overflowing. They do rise somewhat during cooking.
- Baking Time. Bake the tartlets until they are golden brown, but be careful not to overbake them. Remember, the tartlets will continue to cook after leaving the oven while they cool and set.
- Let them cool. While it can be tempting to bite into these right away, let the tartlets cool completely before serving. The tartlets set and solidify during cooling.
Tips for Getting Creative
Sweet Italian Ricotta Tartlets can be easily customized for different occasions. For a special occasion, try adding a few drops of flavoring extract such as vanilla, coffee, or almond to the ricotta filling. You can also top the tartlets with a sprinkle of chopped nuts or a drizzle of melted chocolate. For a festive touch, try adding a few drops of food coloring to the filling or decorate the tartlets with edible flowers.
Pairing Ideas
- Dessert Wine. A sweet wine, such as a Moscato or a Riesling, would pair well with these tartlets. The sweetness of the wine would balance out the savory flavor of the tartlets and the creamy texture of the ricotta filling. You might also consider a decent prosecco as a wine pairing.
- Whipped Cream. Sometimes the simplest and most straightforward pairing is also the best – and that’s true of today’s recipe as well, where whipped cream is probably my go-to pairing.
- Quality Honey. A simple drizzle of good quality is an elegant, and super simple, way to elevate these tartlets.
- Ice Cream. A dollop of homemade ice cream would pair deliciously with these tartlets. Personally, I’d use a plain, vanilla bean ice cream to really complement the ricotta and citrus flavor of this dessert.
- Fresh Fruit. Think bright and festive fruit, such as mixed melon, kiwi, peaches, strawberries, and sliced cherries.
Italian Easter Pies
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 pies 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 egg yolks
- Grated rind of 1 orange
- 1 1/2 lbs. Ricotta cheese
- 1 cup confections’ sugar
- 2 egg yolks 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 4 tbs. raisins (optional)
- 1 tbs. grated chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift the flour, salt and sugar together.
- Add the cubed butter and cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
- Mix in one egg yolk at a time and stir in the orange rind.
- Work the dough gently with your hands until it comes together, adding a tablespoon of cold water at a time to help bring the dough together.
- On a floured surface quickly knead the dough until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- On a floured surface roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thickness and use a glass to cut the pastry into rounds to fit the bottom of a muffin tin.
- Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.:
- In a large bowl combine the ricotta cheese, confections sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon and orange rind.
- Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; then stir in the raisins.
- Press the rounds into the bottom of the muffin tins and top with a heaping tablespoon of the filling. Sprinkle a little of the grated chocolate on top of the filling if desired.
- Cut small strips of dough and crisscross the dough over the muffin tops.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the filling is firm and the crust is a beautiful golden.
- Cool and serve.
- Use any leftover dough to make cookies to serve with the Easter Pies.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden around the edges on a non-stick cookie sheet.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
And those are my Sweet Ricotta Tartlets. I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you. If you have suggestions or questions for this or other content, let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
If you enjoyed this recipe, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! It helps more than you can know! Happy Baking!
6
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, These little Easter pies look great! I've never seen anything like them either. We used to be able to buy Easter breakfast pies when we lived in Chicago. A local supermarket made them us as a special and we always ordered a couple of them. The pies were made with eggs, sausage, cheese and spices and they were one of our spring time highlights! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Chiara says
Happy Easter to you and your family, a warm hug...Delicious recipe !
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Happy Easter to you too!
These muffin pan pies look very inviting!
Pam says
I've never heard of this but I would love to try one! Your little pies look delicious, Catherine and perfect for the day! You don't seem like to me a person whose words fail as you write very eloquently and your poems are as excellent as your cooking and baking. Have a Glorious Easter! xoxo
Judith says
Is it possible to make this as one large pie instead of small ones? If yes, what size pan would you use? Would 9" spring form pan work? Thanks! Judith
Living the Gourmet says
Hi Judith, you can certain make one large pie instead. A 9" spring form or pie plate will work fine. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!
marie johson says
This Italian Easter Pies is a family favorite ever since I was a little kid. Thanks for this amazing recipe <3
Celebrate Woman Today says
What a unique and flavorful recipe to try! I am saving it for my next weekend baking plans.
Samantha Donnelly says
I have not heard of these before, and they do sound really nice will definitely be trying these out
Becky, Cuddle Fairy says
Oh these look absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for your top tips and guidance on how to make these tasty treats.
Monidipa says
I love these tartlets and I love making them. But I add a bit coconut in it too.
beth says
Ricotta is something you can always have in your fridge. I love it on toast in the mornings or dolloped over pasta.
Melissa Dixon says
Oh yum! I love desserts that use ricotta, they are the best. This one sounds like something my whole family would love.
Karen says
I love Ricotta but I never had it in a tart and as sweets. I can't wait to make your recipe, thank you so much.
Annabel Beales says
These look delicious!! I love ricotta and these are definitely a must 😊
Thank you so much for sharing!
Luna S says
Wow! These look awesome, I've never had this before but they sound so good. Thanks for sharing how to make them, I need to try these out.
Yeah Lifestyle says
These ricotta tartlets looks so tasty. I will be bookmarking this recipe to try out later.
Natasha Mairs says
These look so nice. I love anything with cinnamon in it. I would have this with ice cream and chocolate sauce
Jupiter Hadley says
I have never used ricotta in a sweet recipe - what an interesting idea. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Lorie says
If I don't have time to make a crust, is there a store bought crust you'd recommend?
Thank you!
Living the Gourmet says
I think Pillsbury is a fine substitute for pies!