For a fun variation of a classic dessert, give this deconstructed cannoli a try.
Deconstructed Cannoli
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta*
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon triple sec**
- waffle cones/bowls or sugar cones
- mini chocolate chips
- cinnamon
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, and triple sec.
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Stir until fully combined and smooth.
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At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving.
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To serve, break bowls or cones into chip-sized pieces.
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Divide ricotta mixture into 3 or 4 individual bowls.
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Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or chocolate chips, if desired.
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Serve each bowl of ricotta with a handful of waffle chips to use as dippers.
Notes
**Triple sec can be replaced with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
This is one of the more fun dessert recipes I have created. How often do you get to eat a dessert like a dip? Not all that often it seems. Even better than it being a fun dessert, it replicates one of my favorite treats to get in the North End of Boston. When you have a craving for a good cannoli but don’t have a good Italian bakery nearby, give this dessert recipe a try.
The original post- February 2015
As I’ve written in many posts, I love cheese. This adoration covers almost every type of cheese, from gruyere to parmesan to brie to ricotta. I’ve always enjoyed ricotta in lasagna, but in the last few years I’ve begun making my own ricotta and discovered that this ingredient really shines on its own. I’ve made an assortment of savory dishes, including hot dips and soufflés, that highlight this delicious dairy product.
I also love the taste and texture of ricotta filling in a cannoli. It is smooth and sweet with a slight hint of cheese. However, I really am not a huge fan of all cannoli shells. I’m pretty fickle about fried foods, and some shells can have that residual oil taste. So, being picky as such, I wondered how could I get the taste of the filling without the shell? Eating a bowl of the filling on its own sounded too heavy; there had to be a different delivery option.
I perused options for an ingredient that could replace the shell-
- Graham crackers- Too thick
- Sugar cookies- Too dense and wrong flavor
- Sugar cones- Perfect
If I used sugar cones, waffle cones, or waffle bowls and broke them into chips, they could be used as the delivery vehicle for the ricotta filling. Serving it in this manner would allow everyone to choose how much ricotta they wanted, whether they wanted to sprinkle the ricotta with mini chocolate chips or cinnamon. I suppose if you like a lot of filling you even could fill a sugar cone with ricotta.
This is a simple dessert that is fun to eat. Try it at your next gathering; you won’t have to spend a lot of time prepping and should find yourself surrounded by happy eaters.
