Panna Cotta with Cinnamon

It doesn’t get much better than this Italian dessert, Panna Cotta.  This is one of those really easy dishes to make and it tastes amazing!  Panna Cotta if you are not familiar with it is an Italian custard made up of cream, milk, gelatin and sugar and it is almost foolproof to make. It is also a great dessert to entertain with not just because it is easy, but because it is made ahead of time and it looks great. 

Often you will see panna cotta flipped out of it’s container on to a plate. I have chosen to not invert my panna cotta and I left them in their cups when they were ready for serving.  If you do decide you want to be fancy and invert these little guys on a plate then all you need to do is lightly oil the cups that you place the panna cotta in and after they are done chilling place them in a warm water bath for a few minutes to loosen them and then turn them out.

Print Recipe

Panna Cotta

A delicious and easy Italian custard

Cook Time30 mins

chilling time6 hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir to distribute, and set aside to soften 2 to 3 minutes.
• Get out your dishes that you will be pouring the panna cotta in and set aside. Half-fill a large bowl with ice and add enough water to make an ice bath and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, and whisk in the softened gelatin and the vanilla extract.
• Set the saucepan in the ice bath (making sure the top of the saucepan is well above the surface of the water), and whisk until the mixture is lukewarm.
• Pour mixture into ramekins and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. If you’re going to keep them longer than overnight, cover them with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap gently against the panna cotta to prevent a skin from forming.
• Sprinkle with Cinnamon and serve!
• Add toppings to your liking. You can also use mixed berries instead of cinnamon