37 Mediterranean-Inspired Desserts So Decadent You'll Practically Be Able To Taste The Sea
From luscious Italian gelato to crispy and sweet Greek loukoumades to decadent French profiteroles, we can all agree–the Mediterranean coast KNOWS its desserts. Featuring ingredients like olive oil, yogurt, toasty nuts, honey, and shatteringly crisp phyllo dough, these desserts are usually lighter and take just a bit more prep than other desserts, often serving to make them feel extra special. They’re also often the type of thing you’re more likely to find in a bakery or at the end of a special restaurant meal, but trust us—these 37 Mediterranean-inspired desserts are worth attempting to make at home.
Looking for a project that’s guaranteed to impress? Look to France and Italy for remarkable, show-stopping desserts like macarons, zeppole, cream puffs, chocolate soufflé, and cannoli. These admittedly take a bit of expertise, but just remember: practice makes perfect, and sometimes it’s the imperfect bakes that end up tasting the best.
Need something a little simpler, but that’s still worthy of a special occasion? Try your hand at making tiramisu (basically the OG icebox cake), walnut & pistachio baklava, or our pineapple granita. They’re super tasty, but with some short-cuts and hacks that don’t take all your energy in the kitchen.
Craving a sweet treat you can return to again and again? A slice of our honey cake, our warm figs with Greek yogurt, our olive oil chocolate chip cookies, or an affogato are the perfect sweet treat to take the edge off your day. Close your eyes, and imagine the ocean—the Mediterranean’s just a bite away.
Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Those who say that butter makes everything better are, well, not wrong, but we’re willing to bet they haven’t been brave enough to sub in olive oil instead. Enter: these secretly healthy, but no less delicious olive oil chocolate chip cookies.
Get the Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
Flan
Ultra-creamy with a rich caramel sauce, a slice of flan just might be one of the most luxurious desserts there is. If you’ve never attempted making this dessert homemade, no stress: We’ve got all of our top tips here to nail every aspect from the rich and creamy custard to the simple, classic caramel.
Get the Flan recipe.
Warm Figs With Honey & Greek Yogurt recipe
Indulge in the perfect ending to any meal with a delightful bowl of warm figs dressed in a citrus honey and served with a touch of Greek yogurt. The juicy, sweet figs pair flawlessly with the zesty orange, creating a heavenly flavor combination.
Get the Warm Figs With Honey & Greek Yogurt recipe.
Olive Oil Cake
If you've never used olive oil in your baking, this tender cake is where you should start. In this recipe, the oil also adds heaps to the flavor profile: the orange and lemon zest play perfectly with the grassy, bright flavors of the olive oil.
Get the Olive Oil Cake recipe.
Honey-Roasted Pears
Lusciously glazed with honey, these roasted pears showcase elegant flecks of vanilla bean and are finished with colorful lemon zest and a dusting of fresh thyme. Serve them with a scoop of cool dairy, like vanilla ice cream or sweetened Greek yogurt, and a smattering of granola sprinkled over top.
Get the Honey-Roasted Pears recipe.
Loukoumades
You'll find fried pillows of goodness in cultures around the globe—like the Ghanaian bofrot, NOLA beignets, Indian jalebi, and Italian zeppole. Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt are known for their loukoumades (Turkey calls them lokma) as their version of these wildly delicious donuts that you'll often see dripping in chocolate, honey, and pistachios.
Get the Loukoumades recipe.
Ma'amoul
Ma’amoul cookies are a type of Middle Eastern butter cookie that is usually filled with a variety of dried fruits or nuts. Made with semolina flour, the shortbread-like exterior has a slight crunch to it, giving way to a softer filling.
Get the Ma'amoul recipe.
Tiramisu
When rich coffee flavor, homemade mascarpone cream, and rum combine, an absolute dream layered dessert is born. Filled with so many flavors, tiramisu still somehow tastes light, with soaked ladyfingers that practically melt in your mouth upon the first bite.
Get the Tiramisu recipe.
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is a creamy, rich, chilled dessert often found throughout Italy. We put a slightly more nutritious spin on the popular dessert by incorporating Greek yogurt and honey into the recipe—the result is a treat that isn’t overly sweet, perfect for enjoying again and again.
Get the Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta recipe.
Halva
A Middle Eastern treat made from tahini, halva has a similar texture to fudge, but isn’t as sweet or rich. Our top tip for making it? Be careful to not overstir, or it may become too crumbly and won't hold together very well—stir just long enough until the mixture thickens.
Get the Halva recipe.
Cream Puffs
If you’re looking to get started in the world of pastry making, then there is no better place to start than cream puffs. They combine two basic pastry components: a pâte à choux, a dough used in a lot of French pastry applications made of flour, butter, milk, water, and eggs, and pastry cream.
Get the Cream Puffs recipe.
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookie… whatever they are, we’re here to tell you, they can ALL be improved by the addition of one simple ingredient—ground pistachios. Pistachios add a slightly sweet, almost buttery nutty flavor that will make your cookies feel a little bit elevated, but still just as classic and comforting.
Get the Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
Gelato
Those who hail from Italy particularly love gelato, savoring flavors like nocciala (hazelnut), pistachio, and fregola (strawberry) as they walk through the piazzas of Rome, Florence, or Milano. If you can't make it to Italy, our homemade gelato recipe will at least make you feel like you're living your best life, right at home.
Get the Gelato recipe.
Zeppole
It’s time to say ciao to your new favorite Italian treats, zeppole! Zeppole are tiny fried donuts rolled in a sugar mixture, and we can’t get enough of them. Try them with chocolate sauce for a more decadent dessert to finish off the night.
Get the Zeppole recipe.
Walnut & Pistachio Baklava
Sticky and rich, baklava is a dessert made of layered sheets of phyllo dough, nuts, spices, sugar and/or honey. It’s served all over the Middle East, Turkey, and Greece. Feel free to use whichever nuts you like the most.
Get the Walnut & Pistachio Baklava recipe.
Pineapple Granita
Simple to make and easily modified, granita is perfect on its own as a light palate cleanser or dressed up with whipped cream and toppings. This pineapple version is big on tropical flavors, with heavy notes of vanilla and toffee thanks to a splash of rum and a scoop of dark brown sugar.
Get the Pineapple Granita recipe.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
In this Italian classic, almond-flavored cakes are sandwiched between chocolate with layers of raspberry and apricot jam. It's true, these do take some patience, but we promise, it's VERY worth the effort.
Get the Italian Rainbow Cookies recipe.
Tahini Cookies
Tahini cookies are kind of like a more grown up version of your favorite peanut butter cookie. They're soft with a slight chew, while the sesame seeds on the outside add a slight crunch. They might just make you start using tahini in all of your baking projects, and not just hummus.
Get the Tahini Cookies recipe.
Spumoni Ice Cream Cake
Inspired by the trio of flavors common in Italian spumoni, or molded gelato, this ice cream cake demands attention. With 6 whole pints of ice cream, it feeds a big, hungry crew.
Get the Spumoni Ice Cream Cake recipe.
Financiers
Bring a petite taste of France into your kitchen with a batch of these nutty financier cakes. Unlike madeleines (their cookie cousins), financier batter is made with almond flour, nutty browned butter, and egg whites to keep them light and airy. The edges will be slightly chewy and crisp, and the insides will be moist.
Get the Financiers recipe.
Chocolate Soufflés
French soufflés don't have to be something to fear! For tall, beautiful results, whip your egg whites well, coat your ramekins with sugar, DON'T open your oven (though you might want to), and serve these beauties right away.
Get the Chocolate Soufflés recipe.
Biscotti
Biscotti are Italian cookies that are initially baked in a large flat log, then cut and baked once more into toasted and crunchy treats. We love them simple with sliced almonds, but pistachios, pine nuts, raisins or dried cranberries, or chocolate chips are all great mix-ins.
Get the Biscotti recipe.
Affogato
Affogato is a simple Italian dessert—just espresso poured over a scoop of gelato—but sometimes the easiest things require the most attention to detail. Affogato means “drowned” in Italian, but in reality the ideal bite will have some cold gelato and a pool of warm espresso on the spoon.
Get the Affogato recipe.
Homemade Cannoli
Italian bakeries have been serving up cannoli forever. The crispy shell and creamy sweet filling are nearly irresistible. Often times, they come with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios or dipped in chocolate. No matter what topping you pick, they're a MAJOR treat.
Get the Homemade Cannoli recipe.
Italian Ricotta Cookies
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are an Italian classic and a breeze to make. What’s more fun than frosting? Sprinkles! You can adorn these cookies with any combination of sprinkles, whether for a celebration or just another Tuesday.
Get the Italian Ricotta Cookies recipe.
Almond Cake
This is one of those gluten-free and dairy-free recipes that we turn to again and again. We love it served with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit, plus a little drizzle of honey to make it all sing.
Get the Almond Cake recipe.
Macarons
When it comes to French desserts, you can’t get more classic or classy than a macaron. Featuring crisp, shiny shells sandwiching a luscious rich filling, these classy French cookies are sure to impress and delight anyone who tastes them.
Get the Macarons recipe.
Amaretti Cookies
If you like the flavor of French macarons, you'll love this take on Italian amaretti cookies. Soft, pillowy, moist, sweet, and lightly scented with amaretto liqueur as well as citrus zests, these cookies get made multiple times a season, year after year.
Get the Amaretti Cookies recipe.
Crème Brûlée
Thanks to its elegant French name and famous sugar crust, crème brûlée can sound a little intimidating. But that moment of pure bliss when you crack through that caramelized sugar to find warm, velvety custard underneath is actually pretty simple to re-create at home.
Get the Crème Brûlée recipe.
Struffoli
To make struffoli, little balls of dough are flavored with citrus zest and a splash of wine, deep-fried until crispy and light, and tossed in honey to sweeten the deal. As if this isn’t already enough of a delight, the balls then get shaped into a wreath and covered in rainbow nonpareil sprinkles.
Get the Struffoli recipe.
Profiteroles
Profiteroles sound fancy, but don't be intimidated. They're basically just little ice cream-filled, melted chocolate-covered puffs of goodness that are surprisingly straightforward to make.
Get the Profiteroles recipe.
Palmiers
Palmiers, also known as elephant ears due to their shape, are delicious and so simple to make. Sugar is sprinkled on top of flaky layers of puff pastry and then rolled so that when cut the cookies look like little hearts. So cute!
Get the Palmiers recipe.
Cuccidati
If Fig Newtons had a grown-up, glamorous sister, she would be cuccidati. Packed with a sticky-sweet, spiced fig filling and showered in rainbow sprinkles, these bite-sized Italian cookies are more than ready for a party, anytime of year.
Get the Cuccidati recipe.
Pignoli Cookies
This classic Italian cookie is perfect for the almond lovers in your life. The treat is studded with "pignoli," Italian for pine nuts, and gets even more nutty flavor from a hefty amount of almond paste (our new favorite baking secret weapon).
Get the Pignoli Cookies recipe.
Perfect Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is a cream-based Italian dessert that is set with gelatin, and any dessert that uses cream as the main dessert is a must-make in our books. This no-bake dessert is delicate, creamy, and all-around decadent.
Get the Perfect Panna Cotta recipe.
Chocolate Pots De Crème
Somewhere between pudding and mousse, pots de crème somewhat defy explanation. What is easy to explain is how decadent and delightful they are, both because of their rich chocolate flavor and the specialness of serving them in individual containers.
Get the Chocolate Pots De Crème recipe.
Italian Lemon Cookies
Originally served at weddings (to symbolize tying the knot, get it?), these Southern Italian cookies—otherwise known as tarallucci al limon or taralli al limone—are now commonly found at holiday gatherings of all kinds. They’re sweet and tart, the perfect foil to all the heavier holiday flavors.
Get the Italian Lemon Cookies recipe.
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