Soffioni Abruzzesi are cute little Italian cupcakes or muffins filled with fluffy Ricotta cream. They are easy to make and are a wonderful addition to any occasion.
Soffioni Abruzzesi
Adults love them, kids love them. And what's not to love?
In translation from Italian, Soffioni Abruzzesi mean "Dandelion from Abruzzo", where Abruzzo is a region in Southern Italy.
Homemade shortcrust pastries are nestled inside the muffin cavities and filled with a sweet and lemony Ricotta cream. Everything is baked till nice and set.
And then you can set the timer, and watch these disappear in no time.
Thanks to Ricotta cheese, these delicious Italian pastries come out super fluffy and moist. After all, you won't expect anything else from classic Italian desserts.
Although, traditionally these sweet Ricotta muffins are served for Easter, I don't see the reason why they can't be prepared for Christmas or at any other time of the year.
Despite their funky shape, these sweet Ricotta pastries are easy to make. You don't need special equipment, except for the hand mixer, whisk and a good muffin pan. (I like this non-stick muffin pan).
How do I make Ricotta muffins?
Make shortcrust pastry
In a medium bowl whisk 1 ⅓ c of flour and a pinch 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 tbsp 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 egg yolks from egg whites and keep both in different bowls.
In a bowl with yolks add the remaining granulated sugar and zest of 1 lemon. Using a hand whisk, mix until fluffy and light (about 5 minutes). Add 7 oz of Ricotta, 1 tsp of vanilla syrup 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 the whites until stiff peaks.
Using a spatula, slowly fold the egg whites into the Ricotta cream.
Roll out the dough
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 lightly dusted with flour and leave out the flaps. Fill the squares with Ricotta cream and close the flaps.
Bake
Bake in a preheated to 390 F oven for 30 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until tops are brown. Remove Soffioni from the oven, let them cool and remove from the muffin pan.
If desired, dust the pastries with some icing sugar.
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Soffioni Abruzzesi
Equipment
- Hand whisk
- Hand mixer
- Muffin pan
- Rolling pin
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 (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
For Ricotta filling
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 7 oz Ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp icing sugar optional
Instructions
Make shortcrust pastry
- In a medium bowl whisk together 1 ⅓ c of flour and ⅛ tsp 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 tbsp 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 tbsp of sugar and ¼ tsp 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 tsp 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 390 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 350 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.
Nutrition
Laura Cerretani says
Can these be made ahead of time and put in the freezer for a few weeks?
I made these before and they were very good!
Iryna says
Hi Laura! Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed these pastries! As for your question, I've never tried to freeze them and I'm not sure it would work. As far as I know most bakers do not recommend freezing desserts with cream in them, because once the filling comes in contact with the dough it may become soggy especially when thawing it. Plus, cream tends to separate in a freezer. Instead, I would recommend freezing the dough. You can do this for up to 6 months. And then just roll it out, fill with a cream and bake. you
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Iryna says
You're welcome Vanessa! If you make the dough ahead of time, you can store it for 3 days in the refrigerator. Baked Soffioni will keep for no more than 2 days in a fridge. It's best to store them in the airtight container lined with a paper towel.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Can I use other mix ins?
Iryna says
Hi Suzanne! Instead of Ricotta you can use pastry cream, store-bought vanilla pudding or lemon curd. The most important point here the filling should not be too "runny".
Marilyn says
I tried to make these, the dough was soooo dry it crumbled. It was even worse when I tried to roll it out, it all cracked. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Iryna says
Hi Marilyn! Sorry you had problems with the dough. Since different refrigerators can have different temperatures, I would suggest to refrigerate the dough for less than 1 hour. Maybe 40 minutes? Sometimes the dough gets too crumbly if it gets overly "cold" so less refrigeration might help. Also, in the 1st step when you're just making a pastry, make sure the dough is smooth and comes together. If it's crumbly even during this step, you can add 1 tbsp of cold water. This should help to make the dough uniform and elastic.
Oksana says
Hello Iryna,
Thank you very much for this recipe! Very tasty dessert. Thd filling is so perfect. The only thing that I would change slightly is crust. I wish it was a bit softer, more tender. Do you know by any chance how this can be done? Or this recipe requires harder crust?
Iryna says
Hi Oksana! Thank you for your comment! I'm very glad you liked this dessert.
In terms of crust, it should be pretty soft. If you make these pastries again, make sure to not over-knead the dough, because it results in gluten development hence harder crust. Your aim here is to quickly combine the ingredients and not kneading for too long. I hope this helps!
Natalia says
Hello. I would advise to write your ingredients for crust and filling - separately. Or if you write your ingredients combined, than in description- write how many exactly you use for crust and for filling, avoid saying :” use the rest of sugar”. It is confusing, making it hard to follow your recipes. Thank you.
Iryna says
Hi Natalia! Thank you for your feedback! I understand that instructions may be confusing at times. I've already edited the recipe to make it more clear. Hope this helps!
teri c says
looking great! Love the small batch too!
Iryna says
Thank you Teri! I hope you will like this dessert!
Mashka says
Delicious!