Traditional Italian desserts typically are rich in flavor. While there are many types of Italian desserts to choose from, several sweet treats stand out. Such desserts have gained popularity and often can be found worldwide. In addition to restaurants, weddings, parties and events often serve Italian desserts. You can choose one of a few prominent Italian desserts to make or buy for your next special occasion.
Tiramisu is a layered Italian cake. This dessert is made with alternating layers of lady finger cookies soaked in espresso and a mixture of mascarpone, egg yolks, rum and sugar. The dessert is topped off with cocoa powder. Tiramisu's sweet filling contrasts nicely with the bitterness of the cocoa and the espresso-dipped lady fingers. Serve tiramisu cold, but not frozen. You should be able to cut into the dessert--the cream and cookies will be soft.
Cannoli is a treat that hails from Sicily. This Italian dessert is characterized by a crisp, deep-fried cookie shell. The shell is filled with a rich, creamy ricotta mixture and covered in powered sugar. In addition to traditional cannoli, some Italian bakeries mix candied fruit pieces with the cream, while others dip the shell in chocolate to make the dessert sweeter.
Biscotti is Italian for "biscuits." The biscuits are baked twice so they obtain a crunchy texture. While you can enjoy this dessert by itself, people often dip biscotti in coffee, espresso, milk, tea or wine. There are different varieties of biscotti--the biscuit dough may include nuts, fruit or pieces of chocolate. Biscotti also can be dipped in white, dark or milk chocolate.
Gelato is not an Italian version of ice cream--there are a few key differences. Gelato is kept at a slightly warmer temperature and it's churned slower than ice cream. Gelato also is made with more whole milk and less cream. Gelato is denser, creamier and has a more noticeable flavor. Italian gelato comes in such flavors as nocciola, or hazelnut; stracciatella, which includes the addition of melted chocolate while the mixture is churning; and pistacchio, or pistachio. If you want to stick with a more familiar flavor, gelato also comes in such milk-based flavors as coffee, strawberry and chocolate, as well as such water-based flavors as orange, lemon, lime and raspberry.
Pizzelle cookies are thin and light. The cookie dough is pressed into a pizzelle iron, which is similar to a waffle iron. This Italian dessert has a light anise flavor. The cookies are sprinkled with powdered sugar, which complements the anise. If you do not care for anise, you can replace this ingredient with vanilla extract.
