Last weekend we had our son’s baptism party at our house and I made this delicious cannoli dip as an appetizer. In a world full of taco dips, cannoli dip is a breath of fresh air. Easy and delicious, it has become one of my standard go-to recipes thanks to my sweet friend Sarah who introduced me to cannoli dip a few years ago! I’ve played around with different combinations of cheeses and think I finally got my proportions right. It is a great dip to serve to mix up the appetizers at a book club meeting or it can be a great dessert to serve on a dessert bar after dinner.
Yields 3 cups
Ingredients
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. Strain the ricotta cheese with a cheese cloth or absorbent paper towels by squeezing the moisture out. The ricotta will hold it’s shape when it is strained. Here’s a great tutorial with photos on how to properly strain ricotta!
2. In a standing mixer, whip heavy cream and vanilla extract with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
3. In a bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and ricotta cheese.
4. Fold in the confectioner’s sugar until combined.
5. Fold in the whipped cream and the chocolate chips.
6. Garnish with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios.
I use graham crackers but you can use broken up waffle cones, animal crackers, Nilla wafers or fresh fruit for dipping! Sometimes I even just use a spoon. Enjoy!
