Description
These Mini Cannoli Cups are delightful bite-sized desserts featuring a crisp, cinnamon-sugared pie crust shell filled with a creamy ricotta mixture, lightly sweetened and flavored with citrus zest and vanilla. Topped with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios and dusted with powdered sugar, they offer all the flavors of traditional cannoli in a convenient, fun-to-serve cup form.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 1 container (15 oz) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust
- 1 box (2 count) refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (raw sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Garnish
- 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped pistachios
- Additional powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) to prepare for baking the mini crust cups.
- Prepare Crust: Lightly flour a work surface and unroll the pie crusts. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon. Use a rolling pin to gently press the sugar and cinnamon into the dough, enhancing the crust’s flavor and texture.
- Cut and Shape Cups: Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the dough. Press each round gently into ungreased mini muffin cups to form little crust cups. Re-roll any scraps of dough to make enough rounds for 48 cups.
- Bake Crust Cups: Bake the crust cups in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Remove and allow to cool completely in the pans before transferring them to a wire rack to cool further.
- Make Filling: While the crust cups are cooling, combine the whole-milk ricotta, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, citrus zest, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Transfer the filling to a zip-top bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Assemble Cups: Once the crust cups are fully cooled, pipe the chilled ricotta filling into each cup using the zip-top bag (cut a small corner to create piping tip). Garnish each filled cup with miniature semisweet chocolate chips or chopped pistachios.
- Final Touch: Lightly dust the finished mini cannoli cups with additional powdered sugar just before serving for an elegant and sweet finish.
Notes
- You can substitute lemon zest for orange zest depending on your preferred citrus flavor.
- Ensure the pie crust is well chilled before cutting for easier handling.
- These cups are best served the same day but can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. Add toppings just before serving to maintain texture.
- For a nut-free option, omit the pistachios and stick to chocolate chips or leave out the garnish entirely.
