Abruzzese Soffioni: the sweet “Love Letters” filled with ricotta.
If there is a pastry able to tell the story of Abruzzo in a single bite, it is the Soffione. Also called “Love Letters” because the shortcrust pastry folds like an envelope ready to reveal a precious secret, these little treats are an explosion of flavor and delicacy. Although Abruzzese tradition places them mainly around Easter, their goodness makes any time of the year perfect to prepare them, especially since the required ingredients are simple and usually available in our kitchens.
Describing Soffioni is not easy: they are small handkerchiefs of shortcrust pastry (often made with oil, as rural tradition prescribes) that hold a rich filling made with ricotta, eggs and lemon.
The magic happens in the oven: during baking, the filling swells enormously, almost wanting to escape its shell.
This is precisely the typical feature of soffioni: that little golden “head” that peeks out of the pastry, promising incredible softness.
The true protagonist of this recipe is the filling; to obtain soffioni that do not deflate too much once out of the oven, the secret is to use very fresh but very dry ricotta.
My advice is to buy it the day before and let it drain for at least a few hours (or better, overnight) in a colander in the refrigerator.
This small step will make the mixture creamy and firm, guaranteeing that decisive and authentic taste that makes them irresistible.
Tradition and conviviality
In Abruzzo, making soffioni is an act of love.
They require a little patience when shaping the cups, but the satisfaction of seeing them brown in the oven repays every effort.
They are perfect for festive breakfasts, but also as an end-of-meal treat accompanied by a small glass of cooked wine or rattafia.
All that’s left is to get to work: follow my recipe step by step, using the photos I’ve prepared for you, and bring an authentic piece of Abruzzo to your table.
I’m sure that once tasted, soffioni will become a staple in your homes too!
Approx 160 kcal per soffione
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 17 soffioni (pieces)
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian regional
- Region: Abruzzo
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients to make Abruzzese sweet soffioni
- 2 1/4 cups 00 flour (all-purpose)
- 3 tbsp + 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp corn (or sunflower or olive) oil (sunflower or olive)
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 1 2/3 cups cow's ricotta
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs (medium)
- grated zest of one large lemon
- powdered sugar (optional)
Tools
- 1 Mold muffin tin
Preparation of Abruzzese sweet soffioni
Preparing the shortcrust pastry
First of all prepare the shortcrust pastry by placing the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, mix well, then add the oil and the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated.
In the end you will obtain a soft, non-sticky dough ball; wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Preparing the filling
Now prepare two bowls: put the egg whites in one and in the other the yolks, ricotta, grated lemon zest and sugar.
Whip the egg whites until stiff and work the bowl with the yolks and the other ingredients until you obtain a smooth cream.
At this point gently fold the whipped whites into the yolk mixture by hand, mixing well until you obtain a well incorporated creamy mixture.
Put it briefly in the fridge while you prepare the rest.
Final preparation
Take the pastry out of the fridge, take a piece of dough, dust the work surface with flour and roll it out to obtain a fairly thin sheet. For convenience I did not roll out all the dough at once, also due to limited workspace.
Once you have the sheet, cut squares large enough to leave some pastry over the edges… I used a muffin tin, you can also use aluminum molds; obviously the size of the pastry square will depend on the width of the mold in which you will place each soffione.
At this point place the prepared filling inside the molds, approximately level with the height of the mold, then fold the edges slightly inward without pressing, but gently.
Now you can bake them in a preheated oven at 338°F for 25-30 minutes, checking for doneness.
Once baked, let them cool and, if you wish, you can decorate with a dusting of powdered sugar, which I did not add.
Aromas: For an even more fragrant touch, grate the peel of an untreated lemon directly into the sugar before whipping the eggs.
Storage: They keep very well for 2-3 days under a glass dome, but ricotta tends to moisten the pastry, so they are unbeatable on the same day!
