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Mini Cannoli Cups

Mini Cannoli Cups are a delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert, featuring a creamy ricotta filling in bite-sized pastry cups.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 24 pieces
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 120
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Filling
  • 1 container whole-milk ricotta cheese (15 oz., drained) Make sure to drain the ricotta well.
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry Cups
  • 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box (2 count)
  • 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped pistachios Use either chocolate chips or pistachios for topping.

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Lightly flour a work surface and unroll the pie crusts.
  3. Sprinkle both pie crusts with turbinado sugar and cinnamon.
  4. Gently roll a rolling pin over the top of the pie crusts to press the sugar and cinnamon into the dough.
  5. With a 2½-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out pastry rounds.
  6. Gently press each pastry round into ungreased mini muffin cups. You may need to re-roll the pie crusts to cut out more circles until you have 48.
Baking
  1. Bake the crusts for 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
  2. Allow the cannoli cups to cool completely in the pans, about 15 minutes, before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Filling
  1. While the cups are cooling, prepare the filling. Beat all filling ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large mixing bowl until creamy.
  2. Place the filling in a 1-gallon zip-top resealable bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Just before serving, remove the filling from the refrigerator. Snip one corner off of the bag and pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling into each cooled pastry cup.
  4. Sprinkle the cups with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios, and dust them with powdered sugar.
  5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

You can store the unfilled pastry cups at room temperature for up to two days. Filled cups should be kept in the refrigerator for up to one day. It's best to fill them just before serving to maintain their crunchiness. Customizing the filling with different flavors or add-ins like nuts or dried fruits is encouraged.