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    Home » European Vegetarian Desserts

    Published: Mar, 2025. Updated: Apr, 2025 by Iryna Bychkiv | This post may contain affiliate links. Read more here

    Soffioni Abruzzesi (Sweet Ricotta Pastries)

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    Soffioni Abruzzesi
    Sliced Soffioni
    fluffy inside Soffioni abruzzesi
    Soffioni Abruzzesi pinterest image.

    These Soffioni Abruzzesi are cute little Italian cupcakes or muffins filled with a fluffy, sweet, and lemony ricotta cream. They are easy to make and so delicious. To make this pastry a success, please follow the instructions precisely and read through the recipe notes.

    Soffioni Abruzzesi
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Stands Out
    • Key Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • How to Make Soffioni Abruzzesi
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recipe
    • More Recipes You'll Enjoy

    Why This Recipe Stands Out

    This Soffioni Abruzzesi recipe makes one of the most delicious Italian pastries you'll ever try. Here's why we love it:

    • Authentic: This recipe stays true to its Italian roots, ensuring an authentic and traditional flavor.
    • Simple Ingredients: You won't need any fancy or hard-to-find ingredients for this recipe. It uses simple pantry staples.
    • Easy to Make: The recipe is broken down into easy-to-follow steps, making it simple for anyone to recreate these delicious pastries at home.
    • Versatile: Although these sweet Ricotta muffins are traditionally served for Easter, there’s no reason why they can't be prepared for Christmas or at any other time of the year.
    • Super Fluffy and Moist: These delicious Italian pastries come out super fluffy and moist, thanks to the Ricotta cheese.

    Key Ingredients

    • Eggs – We use eggs in both the shortcrust pastry and the ricotta filling. They act as a binding agent in the pastry and provide structure and richness to the filling.
    • Ricotta Cheese – This is the star of our filling. It adds a creamy, slightly tangy flavor and a smooth, lusciously thick texture to the soffioni.
    • Lemon – We use both lemon zest and lemon juice in the ricotta filling. They provide a fresh, citrusy contrast to the richness of the ricotta and eggs, and their acidity helps to balance the sweetness of the sugar.
    • Vanilla Extract – It's used in the filling to add a warm, floral note that complements the other flavors.
    fluffy inside Soffioni abruzzesi

    Substitutions and Variations

    Here are some of our favorite variations and substitutions for this classic Italian dessert:

    • Shortcrust Pastry: The shortcrust pastry is what gives these soffioni their delicious, flaky crust. While we love the classic version, you could also try using puff pastry or a gluten-free pie crust as a time-saving substitute.
    • Nuts: Some people like to add finely chopped almonds or pistachios to the ricotta filling.

    How to Make Soffioni Abruzzesi

    Step 1: Mix the shortcrust pastry ingredients and knead until smooth. Then, refrigerate for 1 hour.

    Step 2: In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest. Add Ricotta and vanilla.

    Step 3: In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks, then fold into the Ricotta cream.

    Step 4: Roll out the dough into squares and press them into the muffin pan cavities, leaving the corners sticking out.

    Step 5: Fill each square with the Ricotta cream and fold the corners over the top.

    how to make Soffioni Abruzzesi

    Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake the soffioni for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 325 F and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

    Step 7: Let them cool, then dust with icing sugar if desired.

    Italian Ricotta pastries

    For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.

    sweet Ricotta pastries

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does soffioni abruzzesi mean?

    Soffioni abruzzesi means means "Dandelion from Abruzzo", where Abruzzo is a region in Southern Italy.

    What is the texture of soffioni abruzzesi?

    These pastries have a flaky and buttery shortcrust pastry shell with a creamy and slightly fluffy ricotta filling. The combination of textures is what makes them so delicious.

    Can I make the shortcrust pastry and ricotta filling in advance?

    Yes, you can prepare both the shortcrust pastry and the ricotta filling a day in advance. Just make sure to cover them properly and store them in the refrigerator. The pastry dough should be brought to room temperature before rolling and shaping.

    How long does soffioni abruzzesi keep?

    These pastries can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Be sure to store them in an airtight container to make sure it stays fresh.

    Recipe

    Soffioni Abruzzesi on a white background.

    Soffioni Abruzzesi

    Soffioni Abruzzesi are cute little Italian cupcakes or muffins filled with fluffy Ricotta cream. They are easy to make and so delicious.
    4.29 from 87 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    1 hour hour
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 288kcal
    Author: Iryna Bychkiv
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    When baking I always recommend to use digital scales for the best accurate results. Here is my favorite digital scale.

    For shortcrust pastry

    • 1 ⅓ c all-purpose flour
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

    For Ricotta filling

    • 2 eggs
    • 5 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1 lemon zested
    • 7 oz Ricotta cheese
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon icing sugar optional
    US Customary - Metric
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Make shortcrust pastry

    • In a medium bowl whisk together 1 ⅓ c of flour and ⅛ teaspoon of salt.
      In another bigger bowl beat the egg with a fork or a whisk, just until the egg white and yolk are blended. Whisk in oil and 3 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
      Add sifted flour and salt mixture and first mix the dough with a spoon and then knead the dough with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth. 
      Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

    Make Ricotta filling

    • Separate the remaining 2 egg yolks from egg whites and keep both in different bowls.
    • In a bowl with yolks add the 5 tablespoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of lemon zest. Using a hand whisk, mix until the mixture is fluffy and light (about 5 minutes).
    • Add 7 oz of Ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and continue whisking until cream is smooth.
    • In a bowl with egg whites, add ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice and using a hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks. 
      Using a spatula, slowly fold the egg whites into the Ricotta cream. 

    Roll out the dough

    • Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly dust the muffin pan cavities with a bit of flour.
    • Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 6 pieces.
      Lightly dust a rolling pin and working surface with a flour and roll out each piece of dough into a square. It doesn't have to be perfect. 

    Arrange shortcrust dough in a muffin pan

    • Arrange the squares among muffin pan cavities and leave out the flaps. Fill the squares with Ricotta cream and close the flaps.

    Bake

    • Bake for 30 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 325 F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until tops are brown.
      Remove Soffioni from the oven, let them cool and then remove from the muffin pan.
    • If desired, dust the pastries with some icing sugar.

    Equipment

    • Hand whisk
    • Hand mixer
    • Muffin pan
    • Rolling pin

    Notes

    Pastry: Some readers find the dough too dry to roll out. If that's the case, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of water or oil to make it more pliable. 
    Making pastry and filling in advance: You can prepare both the shortcrust pastry and the ricotta filling a day in advance. Just make sure to cover them properly and store them in the refrigerator. The pastry dough should be brought to room temperature before rolling and shaping.
    Storage: These pastries can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Be sure to store them in an airtight container to make sure it stays fresh.
    Important: Some ovens require a little more baking time, some a little less. That's why I recommend keeping an eye on the pastries at all times.
    If you notice that they start to burn or brown too fast, you can reduce the oven temperature by 10 degrees and cover the pastry with a sheet of aluminum foil. You can remove the foil 5 minutes before taking the pastries out of the oven.  

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 9.8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 18.4g | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Lavender.And.Macarons or tag #lavenderandmacarons!

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    Iryna Bychkiv
    Website

    Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
    Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nina Kulish says

      April 01, 2025 at 3:02 pm

      5 stars
      I made it once. It wasn't absolutely easy to make, but not too complicated. But the result was awesome! So delicious. Thank you.

      Reply
    2. mimi says

      January 25, 2025 at 1:22 pm

      This dough is too dry, barely rolls out. Got only 5 squares out of it, I followed your recipe to a tee. I have made tons of pastry doughs, never this dry. The filling is way too much for 5 or even 7 muffins. After reading some of the reviews and saw the dry dough complaints where you said to add water. That should have been right under the recipe not in a reply to a review. Going to find a different recipe for this dough.

      Reply
    3. Janet says

      April 19, 2024 at 5:37 pm

      5 stars
      I made these for the first time and followed your recipe exactly. Although instead of 6, I made 7, and they turned out delicious with just the right amount of filling. I made homemade ricotta for this recipe. I will definitely make it again.

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        April 23, 2024 at 2:06 pm

        Janet, thank you for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm so glad you liked this recipe!

        Reply
    4. Donna K says

      April 07, 2024 at 5:24 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent taste! I’ll be making these again. Next time I’ll double the dough-I overfilled the first time and still had extra. I did freeze one to see if it held its texture and taste and it did. So delicious

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        April 18, 2024 at 11:16 am

        Donna, thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm happy you liked this recipe!

        Reply
    5. Joanne Santry says

      April 07, 2024 at 1:31 pm

      1 star
      I am an experienced home cook and baker. I was excited to try this recipe as this dessert is one of my favorites at the bakeries. The dough was very difficult to work with and was a dry crumbly mess. I did add water to it, but it still was too dry to roll out thinner than a quarter of an inch . The filling was equally difficult to achieve. It ended up being thin and runny. I will not make this recipe again I do ask that you relook at your recipe. It ended up being a waste of ingredients.

      Reply
    6. K J says

      February 25, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      1 star
      I tried making this recipe twice. The dough recipe is just off somehow. I always get a crumbly sandy mixture for the dough- not anything that can be rolled out at all, and nothing resembling a dough. I see that someone else has reported the same issue. Sad but I’ll have to find a different recipe somewhere else.

      Reply
    7. Craig says

      February 23, 2024 at 7:42 pm

      1 star
      I think you should proof read your recipes.

      1) I think you used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for the sugar. Europeans desserts are not cloyingly sweet.

      2) I think you forgot to put any water in the dough. Three tablespoons works okay, but more later.

      3) This dough should be rolled out almost paper thin, it get tough at even an 1/8 of an inch thickness.

      4) An almond flour dough might work better than all purpose flour.

      5) There really is way too much filling for the dough.

      This will be the last of your recipes I try; there are people on the internet who actually work on their recipes and make them ready to be published, this is not one of them

      Reply
    8. Beverly Steiner says

      December 22, 2023 at 7:03 pm

      1 star
      I wouldn’t make these again. The crust is way too dry to properly roll out and cooks to a hard overly sweet crust. The filling is enough to make 12 muffins which is twice what the crust does. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of 5 tablespoons in the filling and it was still very sweet.

      Reply
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    I'm Iryna - a healthy food writer, photographer, and taster behind Lavender & Macarons. Here, you'll find healthy, clean recipes that are easy to prepare, made with wholesome ingredients, and approved by picky eaters. More about Iryna...

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