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An Italian Easter pie with a slice taken out of it on a table.
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5 from 8 votes

Sweet Italian Ricotta Pie

Sweet Italian ricotta pie is a traditional Italian dessert. It's a cheese pie with ricotta, vanilla, orange, and spices. You can use pre-made pie crust to simplify the recipe instead of pasta frolla for this easy Christmas or Easter pie. This creamy pie will be a family favourite!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Christmas, pie
Servings: 16

Ingredients

  • 2 frozen pie crusts deep dish
  • 6 eggs
  • 30 Ounces ricotta whole fat
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons liquor orange flavour, such as Cointreau
  • 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 Cup granulated sugar
  • 1 pie crust dough Pillsbury, refrigerated ready made
  • 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 Teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon sugar
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Place prepared pie crust into a pie pan. **TIP: Most frozen pie crusts will come in a foil pan. Let the pie crust thaw for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove it from the foil pan using a fork or toothpick. Place the pie crust directly into your 9” pie pan. Later, The foil pan can be used as a tent while the pie cooks in the oven. This will help to prevent the crust from burning while also trapping heat/steam inside giving the filling a perfect even cook and delicious texture**
  • Set out 2 small mixing bowls. One bowl will be used for the eggs in the filling, and the other will be used for the egg wash. In the filling bowl, crack 3 eggs. Next, carefully separate the remaining 3 eggs so the egg whites go into the filling bowl, and the yolks into the egg wash bowl. Whisk each bowl well, then place the egg wash bowl into the refrigerator until step 6.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and cointreau. Whisk well until smooth. Next, add the cinnamon, orange zest, and sugar. Whisk thoroughly for 2 minutes.
  • Pour the filling into each pie crust. Cover with foil **or the foil pan the crust came in** and place onto the center rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour.
  • Remove the egg wash from the refrigerator. Add heavy cream and almond extract to the bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Unroll prepared pie crust. Use a pizza cutter to cut the crust into small strips. Brush each strip with the egg wash mixture, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  • Remove pie from the oven and discard foil covering. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  • Be creative with the length, width, and pattern you use to lay the strips. I chose to make a cross pattern of 3 horizontal and 3 vertical strips, woven where they meet in the center. You can also weave the pie strips to cover the entire pie, create a starburst pattern, or whatever comes to mind. ** Note: at this point the filling will not be cooked through and will still have a pudding like consistency, but the filling should be thick enough that the thin strips of pie crusts lay across the top without sinking**
  • Place the pie back into the oven on the center rack. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the pie to sit in the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes.
  • Let the pie cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg

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