The interior of this ricotta pie contains tiny chocolate chips, and the shell is thick and sweet. This pie, according to my in-laws who are Italian, is the greatest. Every year, people ask for it for Christmas.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs |
| Servings: | 24 |
| Yield: | 2 9-inch deep-dish pies |
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 pounds ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, or to taste
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup shortening, chilled
- 1 tablespoon shortening, chilled
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Make the filling: Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta cheese and chocolate chips; set aside.
- Make the crust: Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl; cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in beaten eggs and vanilla. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch, deep-dish pie plates.
- Roll out two dough balls and line the bottom and sides of each prepared pie plate. Try not to make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Roll the remaining two dough balls out into 10-inch circles. Cut into 1/2-inch strips with a sharp paring knife or pastry wheel.
- Pour ricotta filling evenly into pie crusts. Start with the longest strips of dough and lay the first 2 in an X in the center of the pie. Alternate horizontal and vertical strips, weaving them in an over-and-under pattern. Use the shortest strips for the edges of the lattice. Fold the ends of the lattice strips under the edge of the bottom crust and flute the crust; brush lattice top with milk. Arrange foil on edges of crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.
- Instead of chocolate chips, you can use 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest.
- Instead of a lattice top, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 352 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g |
| Cholesterol | 142 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 220 mg |
| Sugars | 27 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
The crust recipe was terrible. The filling ratios were completely off way to thin wouldn’t cook properly way to thin. Taste was disgusting everything about this recipe was terrible. I bake all the time and would consider myself to be very well versed in the kitchen what a waste of time and ingredients.
My Italian son in law loves this recipe. I have trouble rolling the crust out… it’s just too dry. I added a tablespoon of water and it made it so much easier to roll out but I think it may be a bit tough. Will try with an extra egg or a bit more shortening next time. I also tried it with butter this time, but haven’t cut it yet.
Awesome!!!
Great recipe. My family likes this better than bakery ricotta pie, and we have tried multiple bakeries including a few in Boston’s North End. I halve the ingredients to just make one pie. I add 2 tablespoons cream to the filling to get the consistency where we like it.
This recipe was a train wreck..made the dough as written..was so dry did not make dough I was able to roll out …way too dry..Tried it again with butter..still not good..filling was really watery but had to use it as I had no more ricotta..the pie tasted ok after baking for 1- 1/2 hours but looks like ..well not good.but will put confection sugar on top to cover it up….will not be making this again..wasted a lot of ingredients..
Love this recipe and I have made it several times. I use a store bought pie crust and I omit the chocolate chips as these are not traditional in our family. This pie is best made a few days before you plan on serving and kept in the refrigerator as it improves in flavor and texture on day 2. This is a super easy beginner friendly dessert. I do bake it longer than the recipe recommends. You want it nearly set in the middle.
AMAZING…I did crust with chocolate chips and one without. I liked the crust without the chocolate chips better…but both were amazing
Great. I did substituted 1 of the tsp with 1 tsp of almond extract. I then mixed in the zest of 1 tsp orange. Next time I will use homemade crust but pre-made crust is nice and thin allowing for more uniform expansion if the pie. I will also try with blueberries or strawberries ..
This review is for the filling only. I was looking for something to use leftover ricotta and came across this. I scaled it down to two eggs, using the 8oz of cheese. Added lemon zest in place of the chocolate chips. Bake time is less, as I know from experience where I wrecked a similar dish. Just have to check it more often. I had this while it was still warm, as I couldn’t wait. It was very good, but I’m sure it will be much better after it has chilled. If I need a larger amount, I’ll try it with the crust.
I made 3 of them. The first time I followed this recipe by the letter. My husband wouldn’t even eat more than the first bite. My 27 yr old daughter thought it was fantastic, I’m not sure either way. The 2nd my daughter helped, and we changed the cheeses and tweaked the sweetness. It really shouldn’t be counted. The next was made for a birthday cake for a co-worker of my daughters, she was impressed by it; the flavor a savory cheesecake, and that she had never heard of it before. The recipe was included in the box the cake was in.
The recipe made 2 deep dish pies, I didn’t use cover crust. I made one with chocolate chips and one without. I thought this was a delicious desert as did my co workers. Nice and very rich, very much like custard I did have to increase cooking time by about 20 minutes. I’ll make it again.
This pie was delicious and exactly what I remember from my childhood. The family loved it and requested that I make one for Thanksgiving. Next time I will cut the recipe in half and only make one pie.
I am a lover of Ricotta pie, but this one has way too many eggs and way to much sugar. It did taste “eggy”. Perhaps if I have used lemon rind and lemon juice it would have helped masking the eggy taste.
I would only cut it in half as it was too much pie for my family
I will definitely make it again!
Huge hit, and the guest used to own an Italian restaurant. She raved about it. Cheated and used Pillsbury frozen crust you roll out.
My family said it was acceptable, so I saw the specter of my Grandma put down her rolling pin and go towards the light. I omitted the crust and added orange and lemon zest with a bit of the juice. I also made a small amount of rice with cinnamon and vanilla and then dusted the top with cinnamon for the authentic experience. I also cooked it in a deep lasagna pan like Grandma did. It was freaking delicious.
It was good. Worth making it. Half the recipe makes two regular pies without the top crust. I liked the chocolate chips in there, so I will probably put a fourth cup in next time. powdered sugar on top is also good.
I made this fabulous and easy cheesecake without the crust! I used lemon zest instead of other optional ingredients. Yummy!!
Family loved it. I also feel the crust recipe alone could be used to make bread; it was thick and heavy enough.
I will make it again and again. However I had to make two modifications and WILL make 2 others. Dough was unworkable until I added a little water. Had to bake 10 minutes longer for knife to come out clean, pie was so deep. Next time I will bake in a shallow tarte pan and bake at lower temp, 350. The flavor is terrific! I added the lemon zest.