Cannoli Bites

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• Optional toppings:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• 2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg white
• 6 - 8 Tbsp apple juice or grape juice*
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar or plain white vinegar would be fine)
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 12 oz whole milk Ricotta cheese, strained
• 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar**
• 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
• Melted chocolate, chopped pistachios, sprinkles, toasted sweetened coconut

Details

Servings 48
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from cookingclassy.com

Preparation

Step 1

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!

Directions

Add flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a food processor and pulse until blended. Pour in melted butter and pulse until well combined then add egg white and pulse until blended. In a bowl combine juice and vinegar, with processor running slowly pour in juice mixture and pulse just until mixture begins to come together. Divide dough into two pieces, shape into balls and transfer to a resealable bag. Chill in refrigerator 30 minutes - 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees during last 10 minutes of refrigeration.

Meanwhile prepare filling. In a mixing bowl, using a rubber or silicone spatula, blend together Ricotta and Mascarpone cheese while running and pressing mixture along bottom of bowl to remove any lumps. Fold in powdered sugar. Cover and chill 30 minutes (or until ready to use).

Roll each chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface (dust top with flour too) into a 14-inch circle, to about an 1/8-inch thickeness. Cut into circles using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter. Transfer rounds to an ungreased mini muffin tin, pressing evenly into sides and bottom of muffin well. Spray tops evenly with vegetable oil spray (I just poured vegetable oil in to my Misto to spray). Bake in preheated oven 11 - 13 minutes until lightly golden (I liked these best crisp). Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool dip tops in chocolate if desired then into coating if using (such as pistachios) and allow chocolate to set.

**You can add 2 Tbsp more if you'd like it a little sweeter.

: I am so in love with these! I made cannoli this summer, and they were a bit of a pain to make, so I love that the shells are baked. I agree, mascarpone is a must! Can’t wait to make these.

alana: Gonna make these cuties asap!!! Thanks babe!:))

: So sorry! added this!

: Sorry!! Added that right away!

CHAROLTTE: HEY JACLYN CAN I MAKE FROSTING 2 DAYS BEFORE FILLING INTO CUPS?

: I think the filling could be made 2 days ahead just fold mixture again before filling.

: OMG, these cannoli bites look out of this world. I can see me just sitting and popping one after an other until all are gone that I make :)

: Can you make the cannoli cups in advance (possibly a day or two before serving) and store in an cookie tin? Will they stay crispy?

: Now that’s an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing. I’m trying to work out what gathering I can make these for.

alec: these are great, but the filling came out a bit runny. i whipped with with the mixer rather than by hand and that solved it.

: […] a cannoli purist and want to make something similar with a real cannoli cookie base, check out these cannoli bites over at Cooking […]

: It sounds like you may just want to try using less flour or more liquid next time, that’s what usually happens to things I’m rolling out if I didn’t add enough moisture (or too much flour. Even if you followed the recipe as written you may need slightly different amounts based on various climates and different humidity levels and so forth. It can also make a difference how you measure the flour – be careful not to pack it in at all). Hopefully that helps!

: I have had this problem too. The second time I made them I added an additional TBS of apple juice. The dough was still too elastic and my cups were thickly walled. I measure the flour precisely without compacting. I will try again and use slightly less flour and slightly more juice. I must say though, that these cannoli bites are delicious!

: Hi Jaclyn. I am a cannoli lover and just love these new versions of a cannoli. so much easier to eat without all the mess. Was wondering if I were to make the shells, could they be frozen for a few wks???

Jen Lewis: So excited to try this today but last night I did a quick run of the filling and mixed by hand. The more I mixed and more I added sugar the runnier it became. I was thinking more sugar would make it thick like icing .refriged over night and it is still soupy. . Help!

: I’d recommend adding a little more liquid to the dough then rolling thinner, then for the cannoli filling try straining the ricotta first. Hopefully that helps!

Lisa: Hi – I just made these and I ruined it somehow. I followed the directions but my filling was like liquid. I added more sugar and it did nothing. What did I do wrong? Im a pretty good baker and follow directions well so I don’t know what happened.

: So sorry about that Lisa! You may have had a fairly wet batch of ricotta so I’ve listed above to strain the ricotta and hopefully that is the solution if you make this again. You can do it overnight with cheesecloth but what I usually do is just strain a lot out with many layers of paper towels several times (although I didn’t strain it when I created and listed this recipe but will try it out next time).

Grace: Lisa: I recommend straining the ricotta to the extreme, adding an extra few tablespoons of powdered sugar, and, if you really need it, adding in sifted cornstarch. Also, mix with beaters rather than a spatula. This worked perfectly for me!

Lee Ann Halvorson: My husband loves cannoli, so I was excited to try this recipe. Even though both the shells and filling tasted great, I some how made my shells too thick and over cooked and the filling runny. I saw some of the other posts so I hope I can fix my mistakes and make them awesome. I did want to find out, can you freeze the dough? also how long does the filling keep? Excited to try again, great recipe- idea!

These look so yummy and I really want to make them! The problem is I don’t have a food processor (or even a blender). I was wondering if you know an alternative method to this?

: You could just do it by hand with a fork in a mixing bowl. I hope you love them Mackenzie!

Marlene: My daughter asked me to help her make cannoli for her office party for Thanksgiving. I told her I’d make the shells and the filling with her (she lives over an hour away). Well I think she is gonna flip when she sees these! This is so much better than frying the shells! They look delicious and the mascarpone will be great in the filling. I always add some orange rind and vanilla bean to the filling when I make it. This is a tradition in our family. I think we’ve just found a new one here. Thanks so much for posting this!!!

: You’re welcome Marlene! I hope you and your daughter love them. I can’t believe I still haven’t tried adding orange zest to my filling yet, I’m going to have to try it out soon though.

sue: I still do not see anywhere posted what temp to cook these shells at..please add to your original recipe..I cant wait to try these

Christina: I’m going to make these for a work Holiday party this weekend!

Emily: I made these and the shells came out very spongy and soft… i probably messed up the measurements. any ideas on how to salvage them or how to make a different dessert with them? the cream is great by the way!

Gina: Honestly i made this recipe following the exact steps two different times and both times it came out horrible. The filling is okay but not amazing and the crust is gross. It doesn’t even taste like a cannoli! BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! DO NOT MAKE!!

: […] *1/2 cup Marsala wine can be substituted for the apple juice and vinegar. Directions To make the filling, combine all ingredients and stir together until thoroughly combined.  Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. To make the cannoli cups, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse briefly until combined.  Add the butter, then pulse to combine; repeat with the egg white.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the juice and vinegar.  With the food processor running, slowly pour the liquid down the feed tube, continuing to mix only until the dough forms a ball.  If the dough won’t come together quickly, add more flour a tablespoon or 2 at a time until a ball forms.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Once thoroughly chilled, split the dough into 2 even pieces, keeping the ball you are not working with refrigerated.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8″ thickness.  Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut rounds of dough, re-rolling as needed.  Transfer the dough rounds to a mini muffin pan, pressing down gently to mold the rounds to the cups.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly bubbled up.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough. To assemble, use a large star tip to pipe the cannoli filling into the shells.  Top with miniature chocolate chips and powdered sugar as desired. Yield: 48 cannoli bites Source:  adapted from Cooking Classy […]

: If you cant find mascarpone I would probably add cream cheese in it’s place and a little more sugar. And yes phyllo shells would work great too.

Sam: Was thinking about pouring melted chocolate inside the cup and fridging it before filling to create a coating so the filling doesn’t touch the shell and make it soggy if storing leftovers for a few days. Would this work?

Rebecca: I made these twice but found the filling too plain so after researching a bunch of different options I opted to put a little cinnamon and a little orange extract as most “traditional” recipes said that you add candied orange peel. The extract worked great could not keep people out of them thanks for the awesome recipe and ideas. :-)

I followed the recipe exactly as written and used Sweet Marsala wine because that’s what my grandparents did. It helps with the flavor of the shells. I did add a smidge of vanilla to the cheeses because when I tasted it I felt it needed a little something and didn’t have any oranges for zest or extract (will try that next time!).

It is very important to drain the ricotta overnight so the filling isn’t runny. That should be added to the recipe body.

What I will do differently next time is to add a bit more cinnamon to the dough and roll it out a bit thinner. Maybe use 3 inch cutter so the shells come up to the tops in my mini cupcake pan.

: Thank you, thank you for this comment! Coming from someone with your background and expertise makes this one of the best stamps of approval I could ever ask for! Thanks so much Teresa!

Christine: When adding the Sweet Marsala wine what liquid ingredient did you omit if any?

: The vinegar and the juice. I just added the vinegar for flavor since I didn’t have any flavor from wine and juice for sweetness.

Deb: I just used this recipe for the cannoli filling and it is delish! Great substance to it. I added some almond extract but otherwise, very easy. I made it easier by using wonton wrappers for the ”vehicle” as I didn’t want to mess around as much for this crust recipe. They baked up fast & sprinkled powder sugar, drizzled homemade chocolate & sprinkled ground pistachios & mini choc chips over the tops. Nice!

: […] a bit longer, you’ll get a nice crunch. Here’s the recipe! Cannoli BitesAdapted from Cooking ClassyMakes 40-48 […]

: […] do was eat something deep fried. So in the end I decided to make my own version, inspired by this post where the dough is rolled out into circles and baked in a muffin tray. I did however make the […]

Deb: I adapted the cannoli shells recipe for gluten free & dairy free. I substituted “Cup 4 Cup ®” gluten free flour blend, for the all purpose flour and “Earth Balance Buttery Sticks ®” for the butter. I followed the recipe measurements with the ingredient substitutions with excellent results. I’m glad that I can bring a dessert for those with gluten sensitives. Thank you for your delicious recipes. I plan on making these as posted too! Yum yum!

: I’m glad you were able to make them gluten free and dairy free with good results, thanks for letting me know!

Fallon: how many does this recipe make?

do you suggest making this day of or day before? how early might I be able to make these if I kept the filling and cups separate??

: Sorry there were so many, I forgot to count! I thought they were best the day of but I’m super picky about baked things being fresh :). You could make them the day before and just keep them separate.

Michele: Made these today for a dinner party, and everyone was raving about them. Drained the ricotta overnight (we do this whenever we make ravioli too), and the filling was a perfect consistency. Made some with pistachio, some with mini chocolate chips, and my favorite were with mini toffee bits. They looked beautiful and tasted amazing… The perfect bite-size treats with after dinner coffee. And I did not have to deal with the mess or the smell of deep frying the shells! Thanks for a great idea and good instructions!

Vanessa: Jaclyn: could I substitute whipped heavy cream (with sugar and other flavorings added, of course) for the ricotta, and make a combination filling of mascarpone and heavy cream? I am not at all a ricotta fan so am looking for other alternatives. Thanks for your thoughts in advance!

: I think that would be fine if you don’t like ricotta you could maybe add in some cream cheese for a little more flavor.

: I’d maybe add a little more liquid to the dough so you can roll it even thinner. Hope that helps!

wendy: How many canolu cups does one batch make? Just trying to figure out if I should double the recipe or not.

: It makes about 48.

: Sorry your batter must have been more wet than mine was, if you did make them again you’d probably be okay to lightly grease the pans, I just didn’t want my shells to sink into the pan which is why I didn’t. Sorry that happened though!

1- I don’t use a food processor. instead I use a pastry blender

: I would love to make these but I don’t have mini muffin pans. Do you think it would work to make them as tiny drop cookies and try to work quick to form them into bowls? I really want to try them they look so cute.

Morgan: How would you tweak the recipe to make this in regular size muffin tins? Haven’t invested in mini muffin tins yet…

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Small Batch Brownies (makes 3 - 4 brownies)

: I'm with him on that one, I still can't find a way to make eggplant so I like it :).

: I think you'd be fine just to make it Friday night to serve it Saturday. I hope you love it!