I love cannolis and my favorite ones are from Pasticceria Bruno located in New York. I wish I lived in New York just so I can take a trip there every weekend. A girl can dream. Whenever I am in a traditional Italian bakery, I have to get a cannoli in hopes of finding one that holds a candle to that of Pasticceria Bruno’s. So far, no luck. I guess I’ll have to take a trip to New York sometime in the near future :)
In the meantime, a girlfriend of mine shared her recipe for 5-minute cannolis and I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you! It’s equal parts of ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla and orange zest. Then, you pipe it onto store-bought waffle crisps or into sugar cones. Easy enough.
I recently bought this tartlette pan from Sur La Table. I love experimenting with tarts, like my Blueberry and Cherry Brownie Fireworks Tart, so when I saw this pan on sale, I could not resist! I had to have it! The folks at Sur La Table were so helpful. They didn’t have it stocked at my local store, so they found the nearest store that carried it (which was in Northern California) and had it shipped to my house. I received it the following day. How’s that for customer service!
Back to cannolis :) Like I said, the original recipe calls for using waffle crisps or sugar cones as the method of delivery, but I just had to break in my new tartlette pan. I decided to christen my pan with cannoli tartlettes! Chocolate chip shortbread shell filled with 5-minute cannoli filling. Delightful!
First, start by creaming butter and sugar to make the shortbread.
Then, add vanilla, flour and mix until the dough comes together cohesively. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips until uniformly distributed.
Now, take about ¼ cup of dough and drop it into each well. Press the dough, working from the center, so that it rises up the tart wall. Continue until a wall of uniform thickness and height is formed around the entire wall. Repeat with the remaining wells.
Bake the pan on a rimmed baking sheet at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the shell is golden brown. While still warm, if the center of the shells are slightly puffed, use the back of a coffee spoon to push down the center to create a deep well for the filling. Allow the shells to cool on the baking sheet on a cooling rack.
Make the filling by combining ricotta and mascarpone cheese, orange zest, and vanilla.
Then, add powdered sugar and stir until smooth and creamy.
Cover with plastic wrap (don’t worry about pressing the plastic against the surface; a skin did not form) and chill in the refrigerator for about two hours so that it is easier to handle. Okay, so it’s not exactly ready in 5 minutes, but it did take 5 minutes to make :) In all fairness, it was about 90 degrees that day and my filling was very soupy. Filling the shells that barely had time to cool right then and there would not be cannoli-reminiscent at all.
After the filling has set, it will thicken and resemble a pudding-like consistency. Fill the tartlettes and top with chocolate shavings. I just grated a dark chocolate bar using a lemon zester over each tartlette.
Yummy yummy goodness!
Get a look at the chocolate chips embedded in the shells!
And that filling? It’s light, creamy, and the hint of orange is so perfect for these warm summer days.
Cannoli Tartlettes
Ingredients
Shortbread Shell
- 6 tablespoons salted butter softened*
- 1/4 cup 1.75 oz. granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cups 3.75 oz. all-purpose flour*
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
5-Minute Cannoli Filling
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Dark chocolate bar to garnish
Instructions
Shortbread Shell
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and pale, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing until incorporated.
- Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix on low until a cohesive dough forms.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until uniformly distributed.
- Press 1/4 cup of dough into each tartlette well, beginning from the center, so that it rises up the wall. Continue until a shell of uniform thickness and height is formed around the entire wall. Repeat with the remaining wells.
- Place the pan on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet on a cooling rack.
5-Minute Cannoli Filling
- Combine the ricotta and mascarpone cheeses, orange zest, and vanilla.
- Add the powdered sugar and stir until smooth and creamy.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about two hours until it is set**.
- Fill the tartlettes and garnish by grating the dark chocolate bar using a zester over each tartlette.
Notes
Shortbread adapted slightly from Food52
These look divine! So glad you’re blogging about all the yummy things I see you post on FB!
Thanks, Christina! I’m excited too :)
Hi quick Q: do you deliver? This looks amazing :9
Pick-up only :)
Rock solid!
Hi, Patty, I really am enjoying your site! Can you please tell me how far in advance I can make the shells and filling? Thanks, Michele
Thank you, Michele! I would make the shells up to 3 days in advance, keeping them in an airtight container at room temperature. As for the filling, I would make it one day in advance, storing it covered in the refrigerator. Have fun!