Makes 12

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Ingredients:

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1 package Puff Pastry (2 sheets, frozen)

1 cup whole milk ricotta

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for final dusting

1 egg

1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract (may substitute with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1 tablespoon Limoncello (may substitute with 1 teaspoon lemon extract)

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Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350F

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Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

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Unfold the puff pastry sheets, one at a time.

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Cut each sheet in 6 equal squares (12 total).

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Line each muffin cup with one of the squares, stretching the dough as necessary, making sure the corners are resting on flat surface of pan and visible after filling (Handkerchief style).

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Place the ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth. Add the egg, flour, Fiori di Sicilia (or vanilla), and Limoncello (or lemon extract) and beat 2 more minutes to yield a smooth cream filling.

Spoon the filling equally into the 12 crescent dough cups.

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Bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crescent dough is golden.

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Do not overbake. Cheese filling’s surface should not begin to crack.

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Remove from oven and, when cooled enough to handle, from muffin pan. 

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Refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least two hours.

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Serve cold after dusting with powdered sugar.

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During my early childhood in Italy, I was lucky to be able to observe my two amazing grandmothers’ culinary skills. My paternal nonna specialized in everyday cooking and was a wizard at turning even the simplest ingredients into a delicious meal. My maternal nonna was a refined cook and baker. She was asked to prepare entire meals for weddings, which, in those days, were held at home, especially in rural Italy.

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I remember being fascinated by both, even as a young child. I asked to help them in the kitchen as often as they’d let me. I learned to make pasta, breads, desserts, and much more because of it. I knew I had inherited their passion for cooking when I asked for a play stove with pots and pans for my birthday. Then, while playing with my young friends one day, I made pretend soup for them by picking wild herbs and flowers outside and placing them in water in one of my play pots. Meanwhile, their pretend play was dancing around imitating TV celebrities . . . :)

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The inspiration for my recipe came from a delicious ricotta pie my maternal nonna used to make. Since she also made Limoncello (as I also do), she’d use a little to flavor the pie. The kitchen smelled divine while the pie was baking, and you could taste an explosion of flavor as soon as you put it in your mouth.

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I have adapted the recipe to individual serving size and put in a couple of my own twists. 

My Limoncello Ricottine are always a hit at friends and family gatherings, but the best part is that they remind me of my beloved nonna!