Make these Cannoli Bites. Devour these Cannoli Bites. That is all I have to say. Okay not really all I have to say because these are my dream dessert, I have such a soft spot for Italian and French pastries so, really I have plenty to say about these. First of all, the cups for these are made from a cannoli dough (I made it a bit thicker than I would for a cannoli shell that would be wrapped around a flute and fried, simply so it could hold it’s shape a little better). The cups are baked in mini muffin cups, not fried. So, to add a bit of that fried flavor I sprayed them with vegetable oil before baking (so I suppose if you want to be a bit healthier you could leave it off, but I think it’s nearly a must). I’m not a traditional cannoli filling kind of person, I need a cannoli filling with Mascarpone to be completely satisfied with this dessert. There is just so much Mascarpone has to offer that Ricotta doesn’t, so whenever I make cannoli anything I always use a combo of both. Mascarpone is probably the best cheese this world has to offer. Okay along with cheddar, I am American. It’s like cream cheese meets royalty. It’s utterly creamy texture and delicate sweetness is something no other can imitate. I’d call it the cheese of Heaven. Anyways, yes cannoli needs Mascarpone but it is not the most traditional way. Another cannoli must I’d say is some form of chocolate. Whether you dip the shells in chocolate or sprinkle these with mini chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate or even chocolate curls), please don’t leave the chocolate out. And If you really want to make these fancy, dip and coat the shells with pistachios. It makes them not only irresistibly decadent but also pistachio cannolis are such an Italian classic.
If you have sweet Marsala wine on hand you can use that in place of the juice and vinegar (so just omit both of those and replace it with 1/2 cup Marsala wine). Take these to your next party and they may likely become the highlight of the gathering. I don’t care who’s there or what awaits for dinner, I just want cannoli bites =). Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS :
Crust:
- 2 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Flour for dusting surface
Filling:
- 1 15 oz. container of whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS :
Preheat oven to 425.
Prepare filling by combining all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl with an electric mixer.
Place in a one-gallon freezer bag and refrigerate.
Roll out pie crusts and sprinkle each all over one side with sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough with rolling pin gently to push cinnamon and sugar into the pie crust.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut out circles in the dough.
Lightly press the circles into ungreased mini cupcake pans to form a pastry cup.
Gently prick the bottoms on the cups with a fork so that they don’t rise too much in the oven!
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and once cool, fill with cream.
Cut off a small part of the corner of the plastic bag to fill cups.
Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and dust with powdered sugar
