These mini cannoli are the easiest, most delicious and may I say cutest mini desserts ever. One of the ultimate Italian sweet treats in mini form, can it get much better than this?No. Make these mini cannoli in around 10-15 minutes and serve them up for game day treats, party food or well, just because.
Did I mention how cute these are?...
I have had a cannoli obsession recently so when I came across these mini cannoli shells
in the supermarket, my little heart skipped a beat and I HAD to buy them.
Because, how cute?!
Did I say these were great for parties because eating them with a cup of tea on the sofa watching movies is totally ok too.
Cannoli Shells
You can if you want, make cannoli shells from scratch, they aren't that hard but making the shells can be quite time-consuming. You need to make the sweet pastry dough, let it rest, roll it out, cut it to size, wrap it around the cannoli tubes or moulds and fry them.
Now that's all great fun for a relaxing Sunday afternoon baking but if you want an impressive, quick and delicious dessert for entertaining and parties then these store-bought mini cannoli shells are perfect. They will also save you SO much time.
How To make Mini Cannoli - step by step
First, you need to melt chocolate. I chose white and dark chocolate to create two different looks (and deliciousness).
Place a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water and the water doesn't boil). Break the chocolate into pieces and melt, you'll need to do this twice if using two different types of chocolate.
Once melted, dip each end of the mini cannoli shells into the chocolate and set aside on baking parchment to set and dry.
Tip: Try dipping the cannoli shells in chopped nuts or dried candied fruit whilst the chocolate is still wet.
The cannoli filling
Use good quality ricotta and whip it with a hand whisk until smooth. Add the sugar, chocolate chips and orange or lemon zest.
I prefer to use orange zest but lemon zest works great too. Also, you can use whatever flavoured chocolate chips you prefer. For these mini cannoli I used dark chocolate chips and reserved some for topping.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag with a smooth or star-shaped nozzle and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the mixture into the fridge if you're not using filling them straight away.
When the mini cannoli shells have dried, pipe the ricotta filling into each one and top each end with candied orange peel or chocolate chips.
Enjoy!
More sweet treats to try
- Homemade Sicilian Cannoli (shells and filling)
- Italian Hot Chocolate
- Homemade Nutella Chocolate Spread
- Chocolate Panna Cotta
- Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream
- Tiramisu Ice Cream
If you've tried these mini cannoli or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
📖 Full Recipe
Mini Cannoli
Ingredients
- 20 mini cannoli shells
- 14.1 oz (400g) good quality ricotta cheese
- 1.7 oz (50g) dark chocolate
- 1.7 oz (50g) white chocolate
- ½ cup (110g) extra fine caster sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- ½ cup (80g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon chopped candied orange peel
Instructions
- Place a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water and the water doesn't boil). Break the chocolate into pieces and melt, you'll need to do this twice if using two different types of chocolate.
- Once melted, dip each end of the mini cannoli shells into the chocolate and set aside on baking parchment to set and dry.
- Whip the ricotta with a hand whisk until smooth. Add the sugar, around ⅔ of the chocolate chips and orange, stir everything together.
- I prefer to use orange zest but lemon zest works great too. Also, you can use whatever flavoured chocolate chips you prefer. For these mini cannoli I used dark chocolate chips and reserved some for topping.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag with a smooth or star-shaped nozzle and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the mixture into the fridge if you're not using filling them straight away.
- When the mini cannoli shells have dried, pipe the ricotta filling into each one and top each end with candied orange peel and remaining chocolate chips.
Notes
- Try dipping the cannoli shells in chopped nuts or dried candied fruit whilst the chocolate is still wet. Chopped hazelnuts and pistachios are best.
- Try decorating the shells with sprinkles, think pink for Valentines Day, red and green for Christmas etc.
- Calories are per cannoli.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Marlee
This is a great recipe! I worked in a restaurant, making their cannolis and I can say from experience that I would much rather have had premade shells than making them some scratch!
Amy Nash
I LOVE cannoli but didn't even know you could buy cannoli shells premade and just fill them yourself! I seriously cannot wait to try these!
Inside the rustic kitchen
YES you so can and it makes life so much easier, have fun!
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
These look so good! I love how you dressed up the premade cannoli shells with the melted chocolate. I'll have to keep an eye out for those! I'll take a few of those and a cup of tea, thank you!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Caroline!
michele
You're photography always inspires me! Its always spot on STUNNING!! Im thinking these will make an appearance at my Valentines day dinner with the hubs! 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
Aw, Thanks so much Michele that's so kind of you, hope you enjoy!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
OK - I need these. Pinned to try later! I'd love to have you share at our What's for Dinner Party!
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-dinner-sunday-link-132/#more-6926
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you Helen!
Albert Bevia
I have always loved cannolis, funny enough the sell these shells in my super market here in Spain, love that you made 2 versions of these, white chocolate is one of my favorites! Thank you for the recipe and inspiration 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
Yay, that's so great! I love the white chocolate ones too 🙂
Trang
These are soooo cute!!! 😍 and I bet they’re amazingly delicious too!
Natalie
Amazing photography of such an amazing dessert! I love cannoli! Can't wait to try your recipe ♥
Demeter
I know, mini foods are totally cute! And cute foods are the best. 🙂 These would be so perfect for a party!
Laura
They are so cute, I wish I could find them here in France. I like the chocolate coating in the cannoli, so if there are any left over the dough does not get soggy. Even if, there are never leftover
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
These mini cannoli look wonderful, and sound so delicious. So easy to make with the handy ready made shells. Perfect little bites of blissfullness to end a good meal well.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks you Helen, they're so much fun to make!