17 italian dessert recipes

Traditionally cantucci combine with vin Santo generally or liqueur wines, although they are very good even with the dry wines such as sparkling wines.

Aunt Catherine's Italian Cookies: a heirloom cookie with almond extract, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, finished in pastel-colored powdered sugar icing. Stores for months in tins.

A simple chocolate mousse with melted chocolate chips, whipped egg whites, yolks, and whipped topping folded together. Optional marbled finish gives it a streaked, gourmet look.

Italian meatball cookies with warm spices, cocoa, raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips rolled into small round drops. A traditional Italian-American holiday cookie that looks like its dinner-table namesake.

Traditional Italian anise pizzelle cookies pressed on a pizzelle iron with orange and lemon zest. A huge batch recipe that makes up to 20 dozen crisp, lacy waffle cookies.

Traditional Italian fig cookies (cucidati) with a sweet filling of dried figs, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon wrapped in a buttery dough. A classic holiday cookie from Italian-American bakeries.

Double chocolate walnut biscotti with cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips baked twice for a crisp, crunchy cookie. Dusted with powdered sugar and perfect for dunking in coffee.

Triple-chocolate biscotti with Dutch cocoa, semi-sweet chips, and a dipped white chocolate base. Toasted hazelnuts, dark coffee, and twice-baked crunch make these the dunking cookie for serious chocolate lovers.

Wheat-free Italian cream cake made with rice flour and buckwheat flour, loaded with coconut and nuts, topped with honey cream cheese frosting. A naturally sweetened, gluten-friendly Southern showstopper.

Lasagne frutta layers lasagna noodles with a sweet mascarpone-cottage cheese filling, tart apples, raisins, and pistachios. An Italian dessert lasagna with lemony cream and fruit.

Chocolate tortoni is a frozen Italian dessert with two kinds of chocolate, whipped cream, beaten egg whites, toasted almonds, and candied cherries. Elegant, no-churn, and make-ahead.

Frozen cranberry souffle with Italian meringue and whipped cream, garnished with spun sugar cranberries. A showstopping holiday dessert that's made ahead and served frozen.

Yeasted flatbread topped with a lime and almond frangipane and fresh redcurrants, dusted with icing sugar. A stunning Italian-inspired dessert bread.

Twice-baked Italian biscotti loaded with almonds and walnuts, spiked with dark rum and amaretto. Crunchy dunking cookies with warm cinnamon spice, perfect for coffee or dessert wine.

An Italian chocolate hazelnut cake from Turin with homemade gianduja paste, whipped chocolate cream filling, apricot jam, and a brandy-liqueur soak. A show-stopping patisserie-level dessert.

Frozen amaretto zabaglione with nectarine puree, egg yolk custard, and half-and-half churned into a silky Italian frozen dessert. Served over fresh nectarine slices with chopped almonds.