Hippity hop, y’all. It appears the Easter Bunny is on the way. I am trading in hot sauce for sweets this week. I’ll most likely have a new video up as this issue hits mailboxes, but in the meantime, let’s talk bunny!

I’ve said before, I don’t really have a huge sweet tooth. One bite or maybe one of something cakes or confections and I am pretty much done. But I do have a few exceptions. The ones that usually fall on the less-sweet end of the sweets spectrum. Macarons are one, though I’m done trying to make them myself. Key lime pie is another. A lot of Italian cookies also fit the not-so-sweet bill. Pizelles, ricotta cookies, and wine cookies all fall in that line. So does Italian Sweet Pie. Which not only, isn’t an over the top sweet treat, but it’s also an Easter tradition in a lot of Italian families.

So here is my recipe for Italian Sweet Pie

Ingredients

For the crust
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Teaspoon almond extract
• Flour, for dusting

Side note: There is a very small chance of me making my own pie crust. And by small, I mean pretty much non-existent. For real. Ain’t gonna happen. But if the spirit moves you — have at it — if not, just buy a good one.

For the filling
• 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Feel free to add to this. A little lemon zest, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and/or candied fruit are all great. Have a little fun with it!

Directions:

For the crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring 2 quarts of water to the boil.

In the bottom rack of the preheated oven, place a 9”x13” baking dish, and fill with the boiled water. Place another oven rack directly above the baking dish.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and sugar together. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the combined wet ingredients. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If the mixture becomes too firm to combine with a spoon, use your hands.

Flour your countertop well and place the dough ball in the center of the surface. Press the dough ball into a round disc. Flour a rolling pin, and gently roll the disc into a circle 2 inches larger than a 9-inch pie dish.

Fold the dough in half over the rolling pin, and gently transfer it to the 9-inch pie dish to line it. Use your fingers to form and press the dough into the dish, crimping the top edge all the way around. Set the pie shell aside.
For the filling

Place the ricotta in a large bowl, and mix with the sugar until combined.

Add the whole eggs, egg whites, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine. If the mixture is lumpy, whisk it until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the unbaked crust. Cover the crust edge with foil to stop the edges burning.

Place the pie in the center of the oven, above the water bath, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the pie in the oven with the door shut, and let the pie rest in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Chill overnight, uncovered. Once chilled, cut and serve.