Orange Cannoli Cream

Add a special charm to traditional Italian cannoli cream with zesty orange and rich chocolate. This thick and tasty cream comes together in less than 15 minutes and makes for an elegant and impressive dessert.

A strange thing happens when you share with the world your obsession with food. Everyone starts bringing you food and telling you about fun ingredients and recipes. If I knew how much fun this would be, I would have shared this years ago. I absolutely love learning about new and creative recipes and ingredients from friends and family (and even strangers).

The cannoli shells came my way via a surprise delivery. To keep things simple, a friend of a friend ordered three trays of shells from Italy (!!!) for his wife, who wasn’t able to use them. So, a few days before Christmas, I was trying to figure out how to get the best use out of these beautiful shells that had literally traveled around the world.

A few years ago, my mom made a cannoli filling with orange and chocolate and I’ve been wanting to recreate this flavor since. So here we go!

I first attempted to make a cannoli filling for Christmas day, which ended up being a problem on two fronts. First, it was Christmas so there were cookies, pies, and other treats out the wazoo.  Second, I followed a recipe from an unfamiliar blog, trying to find an established recipe for an orange cannoli filling. It did not work. The filling was loose and dripping out of the shell, not fluffy and creamy the way it should be.

After Christmas, I still had over 2 full trays of cannoli shells, so it was on to plan B and I decided to take matters into my own hands. By whipping the cream on its own first, the texture is much stiffer and makes for a solid filling.  Then, I drained as much liquid as possible from my grocery store ricotta and whipped it with powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange. I added a teaspoon of fresh orange zest for a mild orange flavor. By gently folding the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture, I was able to maintain the thick texture of the perfect cannoli cream.

This recipe makes enough filling for 7 large cannoli, adjust as needed.

Orange Cannoli Cream

Add a special charm to traditional Italian cannoli cream with zesty orange and rich chocolate.

• Author: Sarah
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 7 cannoli

Ingredients

• 1/3 c heavy cream
• 10 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/3 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 10 cannoli shells
• 1/4 c mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Place ricotta cheese on paper towels, flipping frequently to drain excess liquid.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip cream until it holds stiff peaks. Move the whipped cream into a small bowl and set aside.
3. In the same mixing bowl, add the ricotta, powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Gently fold in the whipped cream and chill for at least 1 hour before using.
4. When ready to eat, spoon the cannoli cream into a piping bag. Cut off the tip of the bag and pipe into cannoli shells.
5. Dip each side of the cannoli into mini chocolate chips and serve.

Notes

Don’t skip draining the ricotta!