Chocolate-Dipped Mocha Cannoli by Bridget

Chocolate-Dipped Mocha Cannoli by Bridget

Oh hello there, beautiful. There’s something irresistible about that ruffle of mocha pastry cream peeking out of a chocolate-dipped cannoli shell.

 
 

For most of my life, I passed up cannoli in favor of cheesecake or tiramisu. Now, I wish I could go back and say “yes!” to all of those cannoli I could have loved before. That crunchy, crispy shell paired with sweet ricotta cream is sheer perfection.

 
 

We’re playing a bit with the traditional here. Why not? It all starts with cannoli shells. You can make these at home, but the store-bought shells are really great and save major time—and mess.

 
 

Even though we’re going non-traditional with the flavors, we’re still using ricotta as the base for the filling.

 
 

Start by dipping the shells in chocolate. Instead of pouring the chocolate over the shells, we’re dipping, so the inside is coated as well. I like Ghirardelli melting dark wafers. Pour the melted wafers into a tall narrow container, and use tongs to dip each half in until the entire shell is coated.

 
 

Place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate while you make the filling. (How good do those shells look?)

 
 

Next up, whir some powdered sugar with orange zest and cocoa. The orange zest adds a bit of freshness to the filling.

 
 

Add the ricotta and process until smooth. I recommend using whole milk ricotta. It’s thick and lovely, and there’s no need to strain it.

 
 

You’ll mix up some vanilla extract with instant espresso powder. I love this stuff.

 
 

The vanilla/espresso and ricotta mixtures get folded into a bit of cream that’s been whipped to stiff peaks. The cream just adds some, well, creaminess.

 
 

Use a large star tip, like a Wilton 1M, to pipe into the shells. I pipe from the middle and out to each end. If you don’t have a large star tip, just cut off the end of a pastry bag.

 
 

Sprinkle with chocolate crispearls or mini chocolate chips.

 
 

I have to order crispearls online – don’t try it when it’s still hot outside, wait until the weather is cool.) Mini chocolate chips are just fine!

 
 

Refrigerate the cannoli for at least 30 minutes before serving, up to 1 day. They’re still good to eat after a day, but the chocolate filling doesn’t look as pretty.

 
 

Serve these at your next dinner party or gift in a sweet little bakery box. I promise they’ll be a hit!

 
 

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