I’m making my Mini Cannoli Cream Tarts today for my husband to try. They are going to blow his mind! I remember my first time eating a cannoli and how delicious they were.

Growing up in New Jersey, my grandparents took our family to a small bakery in New York City for cannolis. I looked forward to those times because the city was amazing! There was so much to look at and explore as a kid. Visiting family friends at their shop, running around the store with cannolis in hand, and looking out of the shop’s windows at all the people—well, it doesn’t get better than that.

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 day 50 minutes
Yields: 8 tarts
Equipment: 8 (3 1/2-inch) mini tart pans, 1 (4-inch) round cookie cutter, disposable piping bag with a large “round tip,” one mesh sieve, two medium-sized bowls, cheesecloth, 2 (1/4-sized) rimmed baking sheet pans, hand-held mixer, one small rubber spatula, one mini hand-held sieve, one coffee tamper (substitute the bottom of a heavy small glass), one fork, one tablespoon, large drinking glass

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) container of ricotta cheese, whole milk
1 (13.2 oz. (9″ x 14″) sheet) package of rolled puff pastry, cut into 8 (4-inch) rounds
1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
1 (11 oz.) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup of coconut oil
1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for garnish

Instructions:
First Day:
Start by lining a mesh sieve with cheesecloth and setting it over a bowl. Place the whole container of ricotta cheese into the cheesecloth. Wrap the ricotta with the cheesecloth and place a small heavy plate on top. Transfer the bowl with the ricotta to the refrigerator overnight. This will allow any liquid to drain off into the bowl.

The Next Day:
Preheat oven to 425° F.

Lay out the sheet of puff pastry. Cut 8 circles out using the cookie cutter. Center and place the dough into the tart tins, and dock each tart shell with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up during the baking process. Because I’m not using parchment paper and pie weights in this recipe, I’m docking each one of them with a fork to help with the centers of the tarts not puffing up. Halfway through the baking process, if you still see that they are starting to puff up, use a coffee tamper (you can use the bottom of a small glass) to gently press on the centers of each one of the tart shells. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the tart shells from the oven and let them cool. Once they’ve cooled, carefully take them out of the tart tins.

Remove the ricotta from the refrigerator and discard all the liquid from the glass bowl. Unwrap the ricotta and transfer it to another medium-sized glass bowl. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. With the hand mixer on low speed, mix until the filling has a smooth, creamy consistency. Fill a disposable piping bag fitted with a large round tip with the cannoli cream and set it into a large drinking glass until ready to use.

In another microwave-safe (glass) bowl, microwave the semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil for 30-second intervals. Stir using a small rubber spatula until the chocolate has completely melted and is smooth in texture. Dip each one of the tart shells into the chocolate, and while the chocolate is still hot, sprinkle on the mini semi-sweet chips around the edges of each tart. Repeat this process until all 8 of the tarts are done.

Fill each of the prepared tart shells with the cannoli filling. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

There you have it, my Mini Cannoli Cream Tarts.

Notes:
1) Halfway through baking the puff pastry, use a coffee tamper, as shown in the picture, or substitute the bottom of a heavy small glass to press down on the center of the tarts to prevent them from puffing up during the baking process. An alternative to this method is to line each tart tin with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights.

2) An alternative to this method is to use the bottom of a muffin pan. This method yields 6 muffins per pan. Press the puff pastry tarts to the bottom of each muffin tin, making bowl-shaped tarts.

3) You could add different ingredients to the cannoli cream, such as chopped pistachios, lemon, or orange zest. You may want to change the chocolate chips for chopped pistachios for the garnish.

4) If you’re not serving the tarts until later, keep them refrigerated.

5) Quick tip: Any leftover puff pastry dough cut into long strips crosswise, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, twist them up, and bake them off to snack on later.

6) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.