Some easy Italian desserts include tiramisu parfaits, crepes, biscottis, and rice pie. The primary ingredients for each recipe are easily found in most local grocery stores. Preparation time is often less than half an hour, and the finished dishes can remain in the refrigerator for several hours until it is time to serve them.
Tiramisu is one of the staple desserts served in many traditional Italian restaurants. This dessert combines lady finger cookies, espresso, mascarpone, and chocolate to create a chilled, fluffy confection that pairs well with a cup of dark, strong coffee. Standard preparation typically requires the chef to beat the mascarpone together with eggs until an ideal consistency is achieved. Coffee and coffee liquors are allowed to blend in a cook pot on a hot stove top and are used to flavor delicate lady fingers that are layered together with the chilled mascarpone in a large dessert dish. This recipe often requires up to an hour to prepare, and several hours to chill overnight.
This recipe can be adapted and used as one of many easy Italian desserts by substituting the mascarpone with cream cheese and layering the remaining ingredients into individual parfait glasses, rather than a large and heavy baking dish. Cream cheese is often more readily available in the dairy section of grocery stores than mascarpone, and does not require the precise attention to detail during the mixing process that the sweeter cream does. Ordinary dark coffee can be used in place of espresso, and brewed in a coffee maker rather than with other ingredients on the stove top. Lady fingers are broken in half before dunking them in the coffee, and are then layered together with the whipped cream cheese. Each serving glass may be topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa powder before being placed in the refrigerator until it is time to serve them.
Italian rice pie can be assembled quickly to create a rich and sweet flavor that complements any meal. This dish combines cooked white rice, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in a pie baking dish. No crust is required, and the ingredients may be baked for 40 minutes, or until set. Other flavored extracts or cream liquors may be added to the primary mixture to create a wide variety of flavorful easy Italian desserts based on this one simple dish.
Fresh berries complement many simple and easy Italian desserts well. Light crepes may be filled with cream cheese and fresh berries, and topped with whipped cream or powdered sugar. Plain biscottis may also be served with fresh fruit and whipped cream, and dipped in dark, strong coffee, such as Italian espresso.