Puff Pastry Cannoli

Friends, I found an easy and yet elegant dessert that takes no time to whip up. With a few simple ingredients you can have this on the table in no time. I was so excited when I played around with some leftover cannoli filling that I had in the fridge. I didn't want it to go to waste but needed something to do with it. 

A few weeks ago, I found this recipe for Puff Pastry cones with Cannoli filling and knew I had to make them. I remember making homemade Cannoli with my family and thought this would be a fun way to re-create those with a bit of a twist. They were fun and easy to make and oh boy tasted wonderful! I'll share the filling recipe below.

Now, I was going through the fridge yesterday and still had some leftover filling that I didn't want to go to waste. I also had a sheet of puff pastry left in the freezer that desperately needed to be used (as in it was drying out). What I came up with was so yummy it's a good thing I only had enough filling for three, otherwise I'm pretty sure I would've eaten more. 

Once the pastry thawed, I cut it into 3 strips (along fold lines), and then each strip into 3 "squares". You could cut them smaller for more appetizer type bites. Play around with it.

Puff Pastry Squares

1-2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbs. water

1. Let pastry thaw on counter for about 40 minutes or so.
2. Unfold and cut along fold lines.
3. Cut each strip into 3 squares, or as mentioned above, whatever size, shape you want.
4. Lay each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with egg mixture.
5. Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Cannoli Filling

1 c. whole milk ricotta cheese, drained (see note below)
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 pkg. semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (more or less)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/3 c. heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks


1. TO DRAIN RICOTTA: Place ricotta in a fine sieve over a bowl, top with a paper towel and something heavy to press the liquid out. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer you let it sit, the thicker the filling will be. 

2. Stir ricotta, confectioners sugar, almond extract, spices and 2 Tbs. chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Gently fold in whipped cream until just combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. 

Chocolate Drizzle

1 c. chocolate chips
2 tsp. coconut oil

Combine chocolate and coconut oil and melt over low heat. Allow to cool slightly.

NOTE: If you plan to make the pastry cones like the recipe link, follow their directions for chocolate since you dip the cones in the chocolate and thus, need more. I added coconut oil to my chocolate to thin it out a bit in order to make it easier to drizzle. 


Assembly:

1. NOTE: If you want to do the cones, follow directions in link. Otherwise, place cannoli filling in a pastry bag with a large tip. 

2. Pipe filling onto the top of each pastry square. At this point you could get creative and stack them, or leave them open faced. 

3. Place chocolate in a ziploc bag and cut a very small hole in one corner. Drizzle chocolate over the top of each pastry and either serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later.  

With Joy Unquenchable,