22 Italian-Inspired Desserts Worthy Of A Chef's Kiss

If Fig Newtons had a grown-up, glamorous sister, she would be cuccidati. Packed with a sticky-sweet, spiced fig filling and showered in rainbow sprinkles, these bite-sized Italian cookies are more than ready for a party. They’re traditionally made during the winter holidays, but to be honest, we think they’d be perfect for any celebration, any time of the year.

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Tiramisu is admittedly a bit of a process to make, but it's so worth it. Set yourself up for success by keeping your workspace as tidy as possible, particularly when dipping your ladyfingers in the rum and coffee.

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Unlike most cookies that form a dough that gets sliced or cut out, biscotti bakes in two oblong-shaped logs. They are made for dipping into coffee or another favorite hot drink. We think of them as an acceptable excuse to eat cookies for breakfast, but also love them as an afternoon and after-dinner treat. Clearly, we can eat them any time of day.

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Sesame’s nutty flavors can pack a bitter undertone, which is why these sesame cookies use licorice-like anise and bright citrus zest to neutralize the earthiness for a more balanced flavor. Have some for a simple breakfast with a cup of espresso for the full experience!

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Hailing from Sicily, classic granita ranks among the most refreshing desserts ever, up there with snow cones and Popsicles. Simple to make and easily modified, it’s perfect on its own as a light palate cleanser or dressed up with whipped cream and toppings. This pineapple version is big on tropical flavors, with heavy notes of vanilla and toffee thanks to a splash of rum and a scoop of dark brown sugar.

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Italian bakeries have been serving up cannoli forever. The crispy shell and creamy sweet filling are nearly irresistible. Oftentimes, they come with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios or dipped in chocolate. No matter what topping you pick, they're a MAJOR treat. (It's why we couldn't stop ourselves from making cannoli cupcakes!)

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Affogato is a simple Italian dessert—just espresso poured over a scoop of gelato—but sometimes the easiest things require the most attention to detail. Affogato means “drowned” in Italian, but in reality you want enough gelato to keep things more sundae than soup. A shot of espresso is about 2 tablespoons, so 2 scoops of gelato will be enough to keep it above the liquid line. The ideal bite will have some cold gelato and a pool of warm espresso on the spoon.

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Zeppole are the perfect snack for serving with coffee for a midmorning pastry break, or serve with chocolate sauce for a more decadent dessert. In Italy, larger zeppole are often filled with pastry cream. For a take on that version, use a paring knife to poke a small hole in the side of the donut, then fill with pastry cream using a piping bag. (Use the filling recipe from these eclairs.)

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We love a classic tiramisu and couldn’t imagine it getting much better—until raspberries entered the picture. We use a little orange liqueur instead of rum to amplify the bright flavors.

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If you like French macarons, you'll love this take on Italian amaretti cookies. Soft, pillowy, moist, sweet, and lightly scented with amaretto liqueur as well as citrus zests, amaretti is in our top 10 cookies of all time.

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A Sicilian favorite across the globe, cannoli are and will always be a dreamy delicacy. But in this version, it’s turned from a creamy ricotta-filled crispy shell to a chip and dip party favorite. The best part is that the shells won’t get soggy!

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In this Italian classic, almond-flavored cakes are sandwiched between chocolate with layers of raspberry and apricot jam. It's true these do take some patience, but we promise, it's VERY worth the effort.

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Panna cotta is a cream-based Italian dessert that is set with gelatin, and any dessert that uses cream as the main dessert is a must-make in our books. This no-bake dessert is delicate, creamy, and all-around decadent.

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Struffoli are a traditional Neapolitan dessert served at Christmas. To make struffoli, little balls of dough are flavored with citrus zest and a splash of wine, deep-fried until crispy and light, and tossed in honey to sweeten the deal. As if this isn’t already enough of a delight, the balls then get shaped into a wreath (the honey comes into play again, helping everything stick together) and covered in rainbow nonpareil sprinkles.

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If you love cannoli but making them from scratch seems daunting, let us introduce you to cannoli cookies. This cookie recipe has all of the flavors you love in a cannoli, like ricotta, orange zest, mini chocolate chips, and pistachios, but with a fraction of the effort. The result is a soft, cake-like cookie with flavors that are reminiscent of cannoli.

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This classic Italian cookie is perfect for the almond lovers in your life. You'll find this cookie in practically any Italian bakery, and it's commonly found throughout Southern Italy and Sicily. The treat is studded with "pignoli," Italian for pine nuts, and gets even more nutty flavor from a hefty amount of almond paste (our new favorite baking secret weapon).

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Six pints of ice cream and magic shell to top it off? This ice cream cake, inspired by the classic Italian gelato flavor of pistachio, strawberry, and chocolate, is too good.

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If you'd prefer just almonds, our OG perfect biscotti recipe is the one to turn to, but if you're a believer in "more is more," this chocolate biscotti combines chocolate and peppermint with a medley of your favorite toasty nuts into a special treat that you can have all year round.

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These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are an Italian classic and a breeze to make. What’s more fun than frosting? Sprinkles! You can adorn these cookies with any combination of sprinkles, whether for a celebration or just another Tuesday.

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Studded with mini chocolate chips and topped with pieces of waffle cones, this Italian-inspired cheesecake tastes like an even richer version of your favorite cannoli.

Get the Cannoli Cheesecake recipe.