Ricotta cheese rolls.

Nice recipe for a light afternoon break, for a children party or even for a simple treat for the whole family without regrets.

2+1/3 cups all purpose flour

7 spoons skimmed milk

7 spoons seeds oil

3 spoons sugar

2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavour

1 egg white

1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted and minced

1/2 dark chocolate drops

Mix ricotta cheese with milk, add sugar, salt, oil then the flour sifted with baking powder.

Knead untill you have a smooth loaf and let it rest into the fridge for about 1 hour.

Divide the dough in 2 parts, same size and with a rollpin spread them in a rectangular shape, spread the dough sheets with egg white, lightly whisked, then sprinkle with hazelnuts and chocolate drops.

Roll the two parts and cut each into slices about 1/2 inch tall.

Put them on a baking pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 356 F°.

When cold sprikle with icing sugar.

You can choose many other filling: cinnamon and apples, almonds and chocolate...Just chop them in tiny pieces!



Homemade chocolate and hazelnuts cream ( Nutella fatta in casa).

Today I'm going to post the recipe of a famous Italian chocolate and nuts called "Nutella".

Of course this receipe will give you the chance of making it at home, tasty and healthy, sweetened as you want and witha great hazelnuts flavour.

The recipe is easy and quite quick, the only thing you must pay attention to is nuts whisking: you must obtain a smooth cream and it takes quite long, even half an hour with electric mixer.

You need:

5 oz. whole toasted hazelnuts

3 1/2 oz. milk chocolate

7 oz. dark chocolate

3 1/2 oz. sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup peanuts oil

vanilla seeds from a fresh vanilla bean

Put hazelnuts and sugar into the electric mixer and start whisking: whisk untill you have a greasy cream (it's nuts' oil) then add the two kind of chocolate in tiny pieces and whisk again.

Add milk and peanuts oil then vanilla seeds then mix well once again.

Put on fire, cook in a bain-marie for about 15 minutes, untill you have a thick cream, well amalgamated.

Let it get cold then pour in glass jam jar.

Store in the fridge, use within about 2 months.

It's great in the morning on fresh bread, every child in Italy eats it, I think you can compare Nutella to the American peanuts butter.

P.S. : this is the real Nutella in its packaging:

http://www.buttalapasta.it/wp-galleryo/pandoro-alla-nutella/la-nutella.jpg

Cappuccino cookies (Biscotti al cappuccino)

I saw I post so many sweet recipes...

It's strange to tell you the truth because I prefer salty dishes: pasta, meat and so on.

But maybe it's because making sweets is so funny!

These biscuits are great in the morning, soaked in a creamy cappuccino.

I love cappuccino so much but a lot more "latte macchiato" ( stained milk): it's very similar to cappuccino but there's more milk and not a whole espresso inside.

Unluckly I'm really sensitive to coffee and it turns my stomach upside down if I drink too much :(

You need:

4 ounces dark chocolate chopped

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon grinded coffè

1 teaspoon baking powder

a sprinkle of salt

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, blend together the chocolate and brown sugar until fine.

Mix together the flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add half the chocolate mixture and blend at low speed.

Add half the flour mixture and blend.

Repeat blending just until mixed.

Stir in the hazelnuts and mix throughout the dough.

With a roll-pin stretch the dough and cut biscuits of the shapes you prefer.

Bake the cookies for about 25 to 30 minutes or even less or more, it depends on the oven you have: they must results quite dry but of course not burned.

Cool the biscotti completely and then store in a biscuit box or a jar.

Chocolate salami dessert (Salame al cioccolato)

The shape it's the one of salami, it's served sliced like a salami...But it's not a real salami!^^

Today it's time for a chocolate delight, a sweet dessert easy to prepare, you can even involve children, for their joy!

I remember when I was little and I had the occasion to prepare it with my mum, I always had had a lot of fun!

Ingredients:

3 onces cocoa powder

1/2 once hazelnuts

3 1/2 onces sugar

2 1/2 onces butter

5 onces biscuits (plain ones)

1 egg + 1 yolk

icing sugar

Bake hazelnuts in the oven untill they're toasted (if they're not still), break them in little pieces.

Put biscuits in a plastic bag for food and crush them with a rollpin or something similar: they must be well broken but not completely pulverized.

Keep off the butter from fridge and let it getting soft.

Put in a bowl the egg and the yolk, mix them with sugar untill you have a smooth cream.

Add cocoa powder and butter and mix again very well.

Add hazelnuts and biscuit, mix untill everything is well amalgamated.

Pour the mixture on a big oven paper sheet, give it the shape of a big salami and put in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.

Before serving keep off the paper and powder the dessert with icing sugar, then slice it and make your family and guests happy! ;)