Neapolitan Cannoli Bites Recipe
Holy Cannoli’s Batman! No, really – we’re making Neapolitan Cannoli bites and they’re simply amazing. Since I’m still unpacking from our move I don’t have the patience to make traditional Cannoli’s, but these little Neapolitan Cannoli bites are just as good (if not better) than those cream filled pastry tubes.
So, what prompted me to make cannoli’s? The first thing was my son asking “What’s a cannoli” while watching TV. The second was this tub of Mascarpone Cheese just staring at me from the fridge. Yea – I know ricotto = Cannoli but this is my recipe so I’m using Mascarpone! I was going to make regular cannoli’s but that just isn’t me; regular. I’m way too cool for regular.
So, enough of me blabbering – let’s get to the good stuff, shall we?
Neapolitan Cannoli Bites #Recipe
Ingredients
- Cannoli cups:
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 egg white
- 6 - 8 Tablespoons Marsala wine
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cannoli Filling
- 1 8 ounce container Mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 fresh strawberries stem & top cut off and berry chopped (preferably in a food processor)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder or 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons Madagascar Vanilla or another really good vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the Cannoli Cups:
- Sift together the dry ingredients and put into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or you can use a hand mixer with a medium sized bowl).
- Add in the melted butter and egg white then blend on low for 1 minute then medium for 2 minutes. Add the Marsala wine.
- Transfer the dough to a resealable plastic bag and chilll in the refrigerator for 1 hour. At the 50 minute mark preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- After you chill the dough prepare the filling.
- Mix together the Mascarpone cheese and the powdered sugar. I used a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.Be sure to scrape the sides so the entire mixture is whipped.
- Separate the cheese/sugar mixture into 3 equal parts. Use the cocoa powder to make chocolate filling, strawberries to make strawberry filling and vanilla to make vanilla filling. Put each filling in its own piping bag (use a Ziploc bag and cut a corner off if you don't have piping bags!) Refrigerate the filling ASAP until ready to use.
- Prepare the Cannoli Shells
- Lightly grease the wells of your muffin tin.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on a clean surface and roll the dough out (break in half for easier rolling) to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut out circles. Press the circles into the bottom of the muffin tin, making sure it's even and reaches up the sides.
- Brush the inside and sides of the shell with EVOO.
- Bake for 10 - 15 minutes (depending on how crispy you want the shells).
- Allow the shells to cool for 20 minutes then carefully remove them from the tins.
- Pipe the Canolli filling into the shells, 1 flavor at a time. Dust with powdered sugar, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips etc...
- Refrigerate any unused portions.
