These Italian Ricotta Donuts are crispy on the outside, light on the inside, and sweetly spiced with cinnamon. You'll just keep reaching for one more little sweet treat.
Since moving to Scotland, I've been fortunate to travel to many places in Europe, but so far, I still haven't been to Italy. I absolutely love Italian-American food, which I know is not the same as the real thing. I'm also fascinated by Italian witchcraft and magick which seems to be deeply woven into the fabric of this culture that is also deeply Catholic.
Someday soon, I'll walk those historic streets, see the amazing art and architecture, take in the energy of that beautiful country, and eat all the pasta. Oh, and as much gelato as one person can hold. And in between all that eating, I'll be on the lookout for the spirits of Roman goddesses to lend me their power. Wanna come?
What makes Italian Ricotta Donuts so awesome?
These little Italian Ricotta Donuts are also known as baci di ricotta, little kisses of fried dough with a hint of sweetness. They're flavored with cinnamon and fry up light as air with a tender, almost creamy center from the ricotta cheese. You can add an extra hit of sweetness with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Another option is to drizzle them with honey. Either way is awesome.
These are at their best when their fresh out of the fryer, so I highly recommend serving them fresh if possible. It only takes up a few minutes to mix up the batter, so you could definitely make them while chatting to your guests in the kitchen. Everyone will be so impressed by these warm, crunchy, light little treats.
Magical Properties of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a powerhouse in the witchcraft world with a wide array of magical properties. Ruled by Jupiter and the Sun, it carries fire energy and can bring in abundance, success, protection, and deep spiritual connection. Burn cinnamon bark just like you would palo santo to cleanse your space and call in prosperity and happiness. (Source: The Kitchen Witch's Guide to Healing & Self-Care by Maggie Haseman)
For more on the magical ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make these donuts. The full details are in the recipe card below.
- Ricotta cheese
- Egg
- Flour - plain or all-purpose
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Sugar - You could use vanilla sugar here.
- Vanilla extract
- Oil - a neutral flavored oil for frying
- Powdered sugar - to dust your donuts after they've fried
Tips for making Italian Ricotta Donuts
These little donuts are so easy to make. You're gonna whisk together ricotta cheese and egg until smooth, then add the rest of your ingredients and whisk until you have a thick batter. Super simple. Just dump and stir.
To fry your donuts, you'll need a pot with hot oil, around 350 F. Use a candy thermometer to help you keep your oil at the right temperature as it will go up and down as you add things to the pot. I use a cookie scoop to add little dollops of batter into the hot oil. Make sure you don't overcrowd the pan. Give them room to float around. I use a chopstick to frequently flip my donuts so they're evenly golden on both sides. Once they're a beautiful dark brown, remove them to a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain off some of the oil.
While they're still warm, dust them liberally with powdered sugar and dig in.
If you can't get to Italy, bring Italy to you with these Italian Ricotta Donuts. It's gonna be awesome.
Looking for more awesome donut recipes? Try these Homemade Doughnuts with Vanilla Sugar.
PrintItalian Ricotta Donuts
These Italian Ricotta Donuts are crispy on the outside, light on the inside, and sweetly spiced with cinnamon. You'll just keep reaching for one more little sweet treat.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup ricotta
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Powdered sugar to dust
Instructions
- Put the oil in a heavy pot to begin heating to about 350 F (175 C) degrees.
- Add the ricotta and egg to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract, and whisk until you have a smooth, slightly stiff mixture.
- Once your oil has come up to the proper temperature, add the dough to the hot oil about a tablespoon at a time. I use a cookie scoop but only fill it about halfway. I can usually cook four or five little dough balls at a time.
- Flip each dough ball a few times as they're cooking until they're deep brown on the outside. Once cooked, remove to a wire rack over a baking sheet to cool and crisp up.
- Serve warm dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar.
Recipe slightly adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson.
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