Cannoli Cups

Cannolis are a Sicilian pastry which are tubes shells of fired pastry dough (cannoli means “little tube”) filled with cream. I’m not a huge fan of them, but I saw the cutest photos in Pinterest and just had to test it out. One of the med school groups asked me to make a dessert and I though this would be a great opportunity, especially since my high school friend Alyssa came to visit that weekend (I blame HER for getting me in Pinterest! ALL her fault!!)

Making true Italian cannoli shells is arduous, so I tried this shortcut recipe from Gimme Some Oven. I have to admit, I had low expectations, but baking wonton shells actually looks pretty good (tastewise, baked wontons don’t have much flavor. Alas, you can’t beat frying)

Unfortunately, I had problems with the consistency of the filling. I had to freeze it to get it stiff enough to hold its shape but definitely not pipable. I saw some recipes with mascarpone cheese or cream cheese; I’d go with those to thicken it. And I probably use higher fat ricotta cheese (not fat free) to make less runny.

pretty sprinkles! <3

Ingredients
1 package wonton wrappers
1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (to taste)
3 oranges zested
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
semisweet chocolate chips and sprinkles
powdered sugar (for dusting)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Press wonton wrappers dusted with powdered sugar into a muffin pan to form the “cups.” (Be sure that the corners do not fold in!) Bake the cups for 10 minutes until the wrappers are golden brown. Remove and let cool.

To make the filling, stir together the ricotta cheese and confectioners’ sugar using a spatula. Add vanilla, orange zest, and cinnamon.

Freeze to stiffen the filling then scoop into the shells (~1 hr). Top with sprinkles and powdered sugar.