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One of my favorite dessert treats is a cannoli. I often make them to accompany our collection of cookies for the Christmas holidays. (Here is my recipe for cannolis.)
Traditional cannolis are filled with a sweet, creamy filling with a ricotta cheese base. They usually contain cinnamon, sometimes some orange zest, chocolate chips, and/or pistachios. This cookie recipe really sticks to traditional cannoli flavors and it is amazing how much like cannolis they really taste.
I found this recipe on a complete whim while searching the internet one day for cookie recipes to make for the Christmas holidays. Every Christmas, our family spends a day baking holiday cookies for Christmas dessert. We make sugar cookie cutouts and chocolate chip cookies. I was looking to do something a little bit different and was on the hunt for something new to add. When I found this recipe I was intrigued. How much like a cannoli can it really taste? Well, there was only one way to find out! Fortunately, I had all of the ingredients at home and decided to give it a try.
These came out amazing. They are insanely addicting. No – you can’t stop at just one. Or two. Or three. Well, maybe three. But that’s only because I’ve been working at losing weight and I really didn’t want to sabotage my efforts! I’m sure I could have eaten more!!
These cookies are incredibly moist, light, fluffy, and slightly-cake like in texture. It is literally like eating a cloud (with incredible flavor!). This recipe called for chopped pistachios, but I opted not to include them (I don’t like nuts in my sweets!). It also called for melted chocolate to be drizzled on the cookies after they have cooled. Another step I did not do. Truthfully, I just forgot. I was making so many cookies and 1) I dumped in the entire bag into the dough (see you should always read the recipes through first!) and 2) I took these out to cool and just spaced it! It didn’t seem to matter, because I think they still turned out great! The creaminess of the ricotta, the sweetness of the chocolate chips, and the subtle hints of cinnamon and orange made this cookie an incredible bite!
So, instead of regular cannolis this year, we had cannoli cookies instead. And nobody missed the regular cannolis! If you like cannolis, you will love this new twist on an Italian classic! Enjoy!
Cannoli Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh orange zest
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 10 oz. bag mini chocolate chips
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and then ricotta cheese until well combined. Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and orange zest.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Next add in the flour. Stir in the bag of chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Drop about 1 1/2 Tbsp. of cookie dough for each cookie spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies at 375 degrees F for about 8-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool completely.