Description
These Cannoli Bites are a delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert, featuring crispy mini pie crust cups filled with a creamy, sweet ricotta and mascarpone mixture studded with mini chocolate chips. Perfect for parties or a fun dessert treat, they are easy to make and beautifully presented.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 premade pie crust
Filling
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, strained
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the pie crust cups.
- Cut Pie Crust: Unroll the room temperature pie crust onto a lightly floured surface or cutting board. Use a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a cup to cut out 12 rounds of dough. Place each round into an ungreased mini muffin tin, gently pressing the dough with your fingers to fit snugly into each cup.
- Bake Crust Cups: Bake the pie crust rounds for 12 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely for 15 minutes, ensuring they hold their shape for the filling.
- Prepare Filling: In a medium bowl, combine the strained ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and mini chocolate chips. Mix thoroughly until the filling is smooth and evenly mixed.
- Fill Pie Cups: Spoon or pipe the ricotta filling into each cooled pie crust cup. For a decorative touch, transfer the filling into a resealable plastic bag or pastry bag, cut off a corner or use a star piping tip, and pipe the filling neatly inside the cups. Sprinkle additional mini chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar on top to finish.
- Serve: Enjoy these cannoli bites immediately for the best texture and flavor.
Notes
- Straining the ricotta cheese helps achieve a creamy, thick filling that holds well in the pie cups.
- Using a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag to fill the cups creates a more polished and attractive presentation.
- Makes 12 mini bites, which are perfect for parties or a sweet snack.
- Pie crust rounds should be baked until just golden to maintain crispiness and avoid sogginess from the filling.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute ricotta and mascarpone with plant-based cream cheese alternatives, but flavor will vary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini bite
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
