Cannoli Bars - Casserole Queens

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 recipe Cannoli Cream (see recipe below)
• 5 maraschino cherries (more if you love’em)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• CQ Cannoli Cream
• 3 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 ounces chocolate chips

Details

Adapted from blog.casserolequeens.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and ricotta on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, orange zest, and vanilla; beat until blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, add the egg and beat until blended. On low speed, add the flour until mixture comes together. Pour in the chocolate chips and continue mixing until just incorporated.
Pour cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula
Bake cookie bars for 45 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan
Allow bars to cool completely
Frost the top of the cookie bars with the cannoli cream (recipe follows)
Top with cherries and toasted almonds
In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest – until smooth.
Stir in chocolate chips until incorporated evenly into cream