Ricotta Kisses

By Nigella Lawson

Updated February 15, 2016

  • Jonathan Player for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(538)
Comments
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These baci di ricotta -- perfect kisses, hot, soft and melting -- are a surprisingly easy dessert. It's just a question of mixing the ingredients in a bowl (by hand) and then frying rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter in just under an inch of oil until you have some light, small, vaguely ball-shaped fritters that need no more than a powdery dusting with confectioners' sugar. Put a dish mounded with them on the table with coffee and watch them go.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Carnivore Finds Joy, Meatlessly

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 1 cup ricotta

  • 2 large eggs

  • ½ cup Italian 00 flour (note below)

  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  • Pinch of salt

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoon superfine sugar

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Vegetable oil for frying

  • 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

14 grams carbs; 82 milligrams cholesterol; 234 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 17 grams fat; 185 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, combine ricotta and eggs, and mix until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. Mix again to make a smooth batter.

  2. Step 2

    Fill a wide, shallow skillet with about ¾ inch of oil. Place over medium-high heat until a bit of batter sizzles when dropped in. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter into pan, 5 or 6 at a time. When batter puffs and undersides turn golden brown, after about 1 minute, flip kisses and allow to brown again for about 1 more minute. Transfer browned kisses to paper towels to drain, and continue until all batter is used.

  3. Step 3

    Pile kisses in a rough pyramid on a serving plate. Pass confectioners' sugar through a small fine-meshed sieve evenly over baci. Serve immediately.

Tip

  • Italian 00 flour is sold online or in most specialty food markets.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
538 user ratings
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Comments

Yogamom

These are fantastic. I used half cake flour and half regular white unbleached flour and they turned out beautifully; I was also generous with the ricotta. They cook quickly, so must keep an eye on them.

Sandra T

These are very light and delicious. The batter/dough is very soft...kinda hard to get in rounded shape like the picture..but still very good. Would be interesting to add maybe 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to this

MG

Hmm ... recipe for 6? Wish I’d read that before my wife and I devoured the lot of them ...

GWN

Fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly. Used store bought ricotta. Piled them on a platter lined with paper towels and shook powdered sugar over them for a lovely presentation in the center of my table. Served with Nutella, honey, maple syrup, and a cinnamon sugar mix for dinner guests to choose their toppings. Huge hit!

Gluten free and alternatives

As someone who has to be gluten free, I hoped that I could use 1:1 flour and can confirm it worked! Also played around with adding small pieces of apple and golden raisins to part of the batter - yum! Best eaten fresh and warm, but still delicious later.

Lost In A Space

This recipe is almost exactly the same as a recipe I got from a Sicilian lady who lived down the street from us in Astoria, NY. They came out perfectly. Nowadays I fry everything in my wok because there’s practically zero splatter and they fry up really fast. Delizioso!

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