Chocolate cannoli cups

Chocolate cannoli cups

3
Points®
Total Time
1 hr
Prep
25 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
24
Difficulty
Moderate
Making cannoli tubes is a bit complicated and requires special equipment. Instead, we shape the dough into little disks and press them into mini muffin tins to form into cups. Not only does this make them easier to make, it also makes them much easier to fill. You can spoon the filling into the cups, or use a piping bag. Zip-top bags are a perfect stand-in if you don't have a pastry bag. Press the filling into one corner, twist the top, and snip a bit of the plastic off of the corner and you are ready to go. We call for garnishing these tasty bites with orange zest, but fresh raspberries would be pretty, too.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

4 spray(s)

All-purpose flour

1 cup(s), plus more for rolling dough

Sugar

2 Tbsp

Unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Unsalted butter

2 Tbsp, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Egg

1 large egg(s)

Marsala cooking wine

2 Tbsp

Part skim ricotta cheese

1½ cup(s)

Powdered sugar (confectioner's)

2 Tbsp

Mini chocolate chips

1 Tbsp

Orange zest

½ tsp, plus more for garnish

Vanilla extract

½ tsp, pure variety

Instructions

  1. To make cups, coat 24-cup mini-muffin pan with nonstick spray. In food processor, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon and pulse until blended. Add butter and pulse until sandy but not fully blended. Add egg and wine and pulse until evenly dispersed and moist crumbs form. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and gather into ball. Lightly coat medium bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl. Cover with kitchen towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes. Or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 12-inch square. Using 21/4-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Gather scraps and repeat for total of 24 rounds. Place 1 round on top of each mini-muffin cup. Using back of spoon, gently press rounds into muffin cups to form shallow cups. Bake until cups are slightly puffed and lighter in color, about 5 minutes, checking bottoms to ensure they are baked through. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.
  3. To make filling, in medium bowl, stir ricotta, sugar, chocolate, 1/2 tsp orange zest, and vanilla until sugar is dissolved and filling is smooth. Transfer to piping bag or resealable plastic bag. (Press filling into 1 bottom corner of plastic bag and cut about 1/4 inch from corner.) Pipe filling into center of each shell. Garnish cups with orange zest.
  4. Serving size: 1 cup