Tuscan Desserts

These hard almond biscuits visually resemble tiny slices of bread, or cantellus in Latin, which is how they gained the name cantuccini, though they are also known as biscotti, meaning twice-baked. Cantuccini sup... READ MORE

A typical dessert of Sienese cuisine, ricciarelli di Siena are soft almond biscuits whose origins date back to the 14th century. According to a popular legend, they were named after a Sienese nobleman Ricciardetto Della Gherardesca, who brought si... READ MORE

Grandma's cake—as translated in English—is actually a soft pastry pie filled with a rich, delicate custard cream, topped with toasted pine nuts, and lastly dusted with powdered sugar. This delicious cream pie is considered to ... READ MORE

Italian deep-fried doughnuts known as bomboloni are one of the traditional sweets of the Carnival season, but nowadays they can be prepared throughout the year. Even though bomboloni are said to be of Tuscan origin, they are commonly sold as a sna... READ MORE

Panforte di Siena is a traditional dessert also known as Siena cake. The modern panforte variety is made with nuts, dried fruit, and a generous amount of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. All of the ingredients are co... READ MORE

This traditional Italian chestnut cake is prepared with chestnut flour, olive oil, rosemary, raisins, and (occasionally) pine nuts. The recipe does not call for any other type of flour or sugar, making this cake a gluten-free and sugar-free delica... READ MORE

These traditional Italian Christmas cookies were originally invented in Siena. They have a soft texture and consist of flour, nuts, candied fruit, and various spices. Originally, cavallucci were prepared without nuts or candied fruit – only ... READ MORE

Zuccotto is a famous Italian dessert believed to have originated in Florence. It is assembled by lining up softened ladyfingers or a sponge cake around the mold to create the frame of the cake, while the center is filled with a delicious, creamy f... READ MORE

Torta Mantovana is a traditional cake originating from Prato. It's made with a combination of eggs, egg yolks, butter, sugar, lemon rind, flour, almonds, and pine nuts. The eggs are mixed with sugar, flour, and butter in order to make a base. The ... READ MORE

Traditionally prepared in fall to celebrate the Tuscan grape harvest, schiacciata con l'uva is considered a typical Florentine dessert or snack, even though it is often said to be of ancient Etruscan origin. It is a type of sweet, double-layered, ... READ MORE

Torta Pistocchi is a rich Italian chocolate cake with a velvety, fondant-like texture. The original recipe was created in 1990 by Claudio Pistocchi, and the original ingredients only include dark chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder, and heavy crea... READ MORE

Dolce di castagne is a traditional chestnut cake originating from Tuscany. The cake is usually made with a combination of chestnut flour, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, and lemon juice. The eggs are mixed with sugar, lemon ju... READ MORE

Berlingozzo is an ancient ring-shaped cake from Tuscany, its name derived from a local word berlingaccio, meaning Fat Thursday, when this cake was traditionally prepared as a closure of carnival celebrations. It is a humble, dens... READ MORE

Pesche di Prato, meaning peaches from Prato are sweet treats consisting of two small, round, brioche-dough cakes soaked in Alchermes liqueur, paired in two with vanilla custard, and finished with a generous dusting of powdered su... READ MORE

Buccellato is a popular Tuscan sweet bread that is a specialty of the province of Lucca. It was invented in 1450 by the local confectioners for the well-off people. Although it was mostly prepared for church confirmations in the past, today it is ... READ MORE

Buontalenti is a gelato flavor named after a 16th century Florence architect Bernardo Buontalenti, who is often credited as an inventor of gelato. This flavor is made with a combination of milk, sugar, cream, and eggs, as well as some additional s... READ MORE

Donzelle are little puffs of deep-fried bread dough, though they can also be made with leftover pizza dough. Served sprinkled with salt while they are still hot, donzelle make a delicious accompaniment to any antipasto platter and are traditionall... READ MORE

Frittelle di riso are traditional Tuscan fritters prepared and served on the feast day of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph). The dough is made with short-grain rice, sugar, milk, flour, lemon peel, a bit of liqueur (amaretto, brandy, or sherry), and eggs.... READ MORE

Schiaccia briaca is a traditional cake from the island of Elba. Apart from the typical ingredients such as flour and sugar, the cake also incorporates walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and raisins, as well as the red-colored Alchermes liqueur and A... READ MORE

Dolce con miele e noci is a traditional dessert originating from Tuscany. It’s usually made with a combination of honey, flour, sugar, white wine, olive oil, walnuts, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and black pepper. The honey is mixed ... READ MORE

Zuccherini di Vernio are traditional dry cookies originating from the city of Vernio in Prato, Tuscany. The dough is made with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, yeast, and aniseed seeds, with the addition of a drop of aniseed liqueur. It is shaped into ... READ MORE

Panficato is a traditional dessert originating from the island of Giglio. It's usually made with a combination of raisins, figs, walnuts, almonds, dark chocolate, cocoa, flour, sugar, red wine, cinnamon, and grape jam. The raisins and figs are soa... READ MORE

Crema Fiorentina is a gelato flavor made with a simple combination of egg yolks, milk, and sugar. It is often flavored with chestnut honey, while another common addition includes crumbled amaretti cookies or almond liqueur. It is a neutral ice cre... READ MORE

Lattaiolo, also known as milk fondant or Tuscan lattaiolo, is a traditional dessert from Tuscany, Italy. It is a soft, baked cream made with milk, eggs, sugar, and flour, flavored with cinnamon and lemon zest. After baking, it forms a tender, crea... READ MORE

Berriquocoli are traditional rustic cookies from Siena, made with sugar, flour, honey, leavening agents, candied fruits, walnuts, and spices. They are similar to the more famous cavallucci, but are bigger in size and richer in taste, than... READ MORE

Amaretti, the famous Italian almond cookies are so popular in their homeland that almost every region has their version of the recipe, using different proportions and combinations of the basic ingredients: sweet and bitter almonds, apricot kernels... READ MORE

Maccheroni con le noci is an Italian dessert made with pasta and walnuts. The dish has ancient origins that date back to Tuscia—a historical Italian region that was formed during the Etruscan and which included a large part of Umbria, as wel... READ MORE

Corollo is a traditional cake originating from the island of Elba. The cake is made with a combination of flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, grated lemon peel, baking powder, and a bit of aniseed liqueur. The dough is thoroughly kneaded before it's... READ MORE

Orecchie di Amman are traditional Italian-Jewish sweet pastries that are typically served during Purim. The name means Amman's ears, referring to the evil Amman who persecuted Jews in Persia. The pastry dough is made with eggs, sugar, whi... READ MORE

Ceremito is a traditional cookie originating from Elba. The cookies (or small cakes, depending on who you ask) are usually made with a combination of flour, olive oil, aniseed, honey or sugar, walnuts, grated orange peel, eggs, yeast, salt, and pe... READ MORE