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An Italian in my Kitchen

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Cookbook Authentic Italian Desserts

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Before I tell you a little bit about my first Cookbook Authentic Italian Desserts, I would like to tell you a little bit about how it actually came about.  Starting from the big always asked question “How in hell did you end up in Italy”?

authentic Italian desserts cookbookCookbook Authentic Italian Desserts

Believe it or not I actually met my husband “the Italian” at a church dance.  My mother told my sister and I about it when she heard the announcement at mass one Sunday.

So we both thought ok what the heck let’s go, we will probably leave early and then we can do something else.

Pre Order your copy of my Cookbook Authentic Italian Desserts from

But….. I saw him walk in the door and I turned to my sister and I said “I’m going to marry that guy”.  Needless to say I did.  After I guess what you would call a whirlwind romance.  With him carrying his English dictionary and me my Italian one, we understood one another enough to know that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

Leaving Canada and moving to Italy was probably one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made.

I moved to a small town from the big city of Toronto where I worked in one of the biggest Stock Brokerage houses in the country to tending a couple of sheep and picking beans.

Authentic Italian Desserts Cookbook

mini cornetti on white paper

And believe me it was a small town, everyone knew everyone and there were very few foreigners in fact probably one and that was me!

Small town people can be brutal, they gave the marriage 6 months on the grounds that …

  1. I was Canadian
  2. I probably couldn’t cook and that is why we went for lunch to my mother-in-law’s so my poor husband wouldn’t starve.
  3. I couldn’t speak Italian and my husband’s English wasn’t great, (The Italian believes this is the reason why our marriage works. We don’t understand what the other is saying)!

But thank goodness I had a few amazing allies that taught me one of the most important things in an Italian’s life!  Yes food.  And the food I ate, from Lasagna, to homemade ravioli, to the best yeast breads and pizza, to something as simple as tender cicory tossed with a little salt and olive oil.

nut & coffee cake on a white cake stand

I always loved to cook and bake.  I was brought up with a mother that was amazing in her own right in the kitchen.  But if food could sing, then it’s the Italians that bring out the notes in some of the simplest dishes and not to mention the more complicated.

After spending loads of time in the kitchen and taking notes and asking lots and lots of questions between friends, acquaitances and especially my mother-in-law and sister-in-law,  cooking and baking became a passion.

When friends and family would come visit they were so surprised? In awe? Who knows, but they loved my cooking and encouraged me to write a book.  But writing a book was so complicated and much more than I could attempt at the time, so my friend mentioned starting a blog and eventually I did.

baci di dama in a bowl

An Italian in my Kitchen which started out as a fun way to share recipes with family and friends, totally took me over and became my passion and a business.  I love it and can’t imagine not cooking, baking, photographing and sharing.  And I thank every one of you who has tried and enjoyed my recipes.  I love hearing your comments, so please let me know what you think.

But through this whole journey the one thing I always wanted to do was a Cookbook.  So when I was approached almost a year ago, I was beyond thrilled.  After a phone call on what I would like to write about, I was excited when we came up with the idea of Desserts.  I adore baking.  From Cookies to Cakes to Pies to Yeast Breads and everything in between.

hot milk cake on a plate

And that is how the cookbook Authentic Italian Desserts came about.  These are desserts that I learned from Italians, whether they are friends, family or even women I met in the supermarket. Italian desserts are not as sweet or over the top as the North American Desserts I was used to as a kid.  And to tell the truth I have come to love them and appreciate them so much more, as has my husband and our two daughters.

I tried to cover as many Sweet Treats as possible In Authentic Italian Desserts,  including Breakfast Treats, Cookies, Pies, Cakes, Sweet Breads, Yeast Breads,  Pastries, Chilled Desserts and Drinks,  Regional and Seasonal.  I hope you find it as delicious as we did.  Thanks to all of you.

A few More Authentic Italian Desserts Recipes

Maritozzi on a black plate

yeast rollups with jam in a basket

Italian meringue on a black board

canoli on a white paper

Words of Encouragement

Suzy K. Karadsheh – The Mediterranean Dish 
“I have followed my friend Rosemary Molloy’s blog, An Italian in My Kitchen, for a good while. And I’m absolutely thrilled to now own a copy of her gorgeous book! This is a marvelous representation of honest-to-goodness Italian desserts. Many will soon know, the secret to great desserts is hardly in the frosting. Well done!”
April Anderson –  Girl Gone Gourmet  
“As a fan of Rosemary’s blog I’ve tried many of her recipes, but it’s her desserts that always keep me coming back. Her beautiful recipes work every time and so this book is a must-have for anyone who loves to bake.
 Sue Lau – Palatable Passtime
“Authentic Italian Desserts takes the culinary enthusiast down exciting paths in exploring new and creative ways to put the finishing touches on a great meal.  From breakfast treats to late night desserts, Rosemary explores the gamut of preparations from cakes, cookies, pies and tarts, pastries, breads and frozen delights, all in an authentic Italian style.  A must
have for any culinary reading shelf”.
Richa Gupta –  My Food Story

“Rosemary’s book is like taking a trip around Italy, while eating desserts. Decadent, sinful and with beautiful photography that will tempt you.”

“Maybe it takes a transplanted Canadian to really appreciate what Italy has to offer ~ fabulous food (desserts?)!  Rosemary has become my go to source for authentic Italian recipes, her Italian Fresh Lemon Cream Cake is legendary”.
Chrissie Baker –  The Busy Baker
“If you love beautiful, rustic sweets, ‘Authentic Italian Desserts’ is a must-have cookbook for your collection. Between the gorgeous photography and stellar traditional recipes, Rosemary has created a masterpiece that any dessert-lover will cherish”!

Pre Order your copy of my Cookbook Authentic Italian Desserts from

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  1. Neeraj Soni says


    hii…!!

    I got your cookbook and I have read it, I just loved it..!! I am going to buy this for my mother, Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes, both on the blog and in this new cookbook…!!

    thank you for such a wonderful & beautifully illustrated cookbook….
    Keep sharing
    cheers 🙂

    Reply

  2. Susan Porkovich says

    I was looking for a collection of straightforward and not too sweet recipes and I found your blog and book. Congratulations on a fine collection of Italian favorites!

    I was amazed at how your story had so many parallels to my own as I moved to Italy from the US for a work assignment in ’88 and met my husband there (he was Australian and not Italian.) We lived in Italy for some time and finally settled in the South of France. I can only imagine your loneliness living outside a large city in the ’80s and ’90s (before the internet folks!) and trying to learn Italian (much more difficult than French or Spanish!).

    How long did you live there?

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Susan, thanks so much. Nice the South of France. And yes those were sad days, waiting for the postman to bring a letter from home! Actually I am here part time. I have been a Canadian resident again for the past few years (my eldest daughter is in Canada and my youngest wants to go next year). So we will probably be there and here for a bit anyway.And yes learning the language was not easy, I absolutely massacre it lol. Have a great weekend.

      Reply

  3. Clara Nussbaum says


    Hi Rosemary!
    I got your cookbook on Saturday, September 22nd & I absolutely love it! I have already made the Torta di Mele,. I had company for dinner & they loved it, too. The next night, I had my son & daughter-in-law for her birthday dinner.I mad the Crostada alla Crema di Cioccolato alla Nocciola e Ricotta. I did add one thing to it. I put 2 drops of Fiore di Sicilia. It was outstanding & my daughter-in-law was ooooing & ahhhing! Being Italian myself, I was always with my grandmother on weekends & she was an amazing cook. I learned a lot from her as well as both my mom & dad. I was so excited when I made the pie dough, then read it was pasta frolla!. My grandmother & my dad always made the Easter Pastiera (with wheat). My dad was from Naples & I guess that version was made there? Anyway, I could never make the pasta frolla before. Now I realize that I was supposed to “work” the dough. duhhh. I thought it just wasn’t coming together. Yours came out perfect!!
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for such a wonderful & beautifully illustrated cookbook.
    Ciao Bella!

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Clara, thanks so much. I am so happy you love the book and the recipes that you tried. And yes Pasta Frolla can be tricky, I’m so glad I helped you make the dough. Have a great weekend.

      Reply

  6. Diana says

    You are amazing and I am so proud of you!
    Your passion has been demonstrated on this blog and now in a beautiful book for others to enjoy.
    Congrats!

    Reply

  7. Sandra says

    From one fellow Italo-Canadese to another… love the simplicity in your desserts. Love your blog! You are blessed to be living in Italy. Cheers 🙂

    Reply

  8. Cristina says

    Rosemary, I’m looking forward to the release of your Italian dessert cookbook in the U.S. I’ve had it preordered for months. Any plans for another blog post with some more sneak-peeks?

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Cristina, thanks so much and yes great idea, just trying to decide which recipe I will make and post. I hope to have it up next week. Have a great weekend.

      Reply

  9. Susan says

    Fantastic news. I just made your easy yogurt take for my book group – so easy, quick and received lots of compliments from the experienced bakers in the group -my new go to perfection

    Reply

  10. Hana Mawash says

    Thank you very much my dear
    I am very happy to read about you
    I wish you luck a big one .
    My regards

    Reply

  12. Tracy Donatelli says

    Your website is on display on my iPad in my kitchen everyday. Sooo excited for your cookbook!! Just preordered 😍

    Reply

  14. Liliana says

    Congratulations! I follow your blog and have successfully made some amazing recipes – especially the Panettone recipe which I made countless times at Christmas! Can’t wait for your cookbook!

    Reply

  16. Dalila G. says

    OMGoodness Rosemary!!!
    WooHoo!!! A book of your very own…..FABULOUS!!!
    I follow your blog and I have made some of your recipes…..always a success.
    I’m so excited for you……YAY YOU!!
    I can’t wait to get my copy of your book.
    Great cover!

    Reply

  17. shl says

    A cookbook! Amazing! I am going to buy this for my mother, and constantly ‘borrow’ it from her. Perhaps on a long-term loan. . . Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes, both on the blog and in this new cookbook!

    Reply

  19. Karen says


    I am so looking forward to this book. I am going to pre-order it from Amazon. It looks like a great book and the recipes look delicious.

    Reply

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