Cooking Therapy

For this year’s holiday party I wanted to make cannolis, but I wanted to do something different with them. I decided baking little cannoli cups dipped in chocolate and filled with a delicious, homemade ricotta-mascarpone filling. What makes these great, besides their versatility, is that they can be eaten in one big bite!

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the Cups

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 egg yolks

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

¼ cup of ouzo or Sambuca mixed with ½ cup of water

½ cup semisweet chocolate

¼ cup bittersweet chocolate

1 capfull of vanilla extract

Non-stick cooking spray

For the Filling

4 cups whole milk ricotta, drained

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees
• In a large metal bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix
• Add the butter and the egg yolks and stir them in with a fork
• Stir in the alcohol mixture slowly one tablespoon at a time, with a fork until the dough starts clinging together. Form a ball with the dough and let it stand for 30 minutes covered by saran wrap
• Cover a flat surface with flour and roll the dough paper thin
• Using a biscuit cutter, cut the shells out of the dough. Discard any leftover dough
• Coat a muffin tray with the cooking spray. Add the cannoli shell dough
• Bake until golden
• While shells are baking, prepare the filling. Combine the ricotta and mascarpone cheeses, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate.
• Fill a small pot halfway through with water. Place a metal bowl over the pot setting up a bain-marie. Add the regular sized chocolate chips and melt. Once melted add the vanilla and stir
• After the cannoli cups have cooled down, slowly and carefully dip them in the chocolate. Let them cool until the chocolate hardens
• Transfer the filing into a piping bag and swirl it in the cups
• Top with sprinkles, powdered sugar, or more mini chocolate chips and enjoy!