Tortoni was originally an ice cream filled cake, made with Italy's wonderful gelato. It has evolved to mean a scoop of ice cream with lots of additions, most notably crushed cookies, whipped cream, and nuts.
The texture of the perfect tortoni is light and smooth, with crunchy bits of sweet additions. This is a fabulous dessert to make well ahead of time. It can be served casually, by letting your guests simply peel off the muffin cup liners and eat the dessert out of hand, or you can serve the dessert in a beautiful stemmed goblet, topped with sweet sauces and more whipped cream.
However you choose to serve it, this recipe is adaptable. Add some liqueurs and it's a grown-up treat. Use lots of chopped candy bars with plain ice cream, and kids will devour it. Also remember that you can mix and match ice cream flavors with the crumbled cookies. For instance, butter pecan ice cream would be fabulous with crumbled chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy!
Tortoni
- 1 quart dulce de leche ice cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 6 sugar cookies, crumbled
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
- 1 cup caramel ice cream topping
- whole almonds for garnish
- chocolate jimmies for garnish
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside. Let ice cream sit on the counter to soften while you beat the cream with powdered sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Add ice cream and beat until smooth. Fold in cookies, chopped almonds, and ice cream topping until marbeled.
Pipe or spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups. Garnish with whole almonds and chocolate jimmies. Freeze for at least 4 hours, until frozen solid. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Baking and Desserts Recipe Box
Linda Larsen - I am a cookbook author and professional Home Economist who has created and tested recipes for major food companies like Pillsbury and ...
