Perfect consistency cannoli cream

We are not sure if anyone will need this tutorial, but we know we would have loved to have had one. After several disasterous cannoli filling attempts, we finally figured out the perfect blend. If we can help just one person avoid wasting a lot of expensive cheese, it will be worth doing this tutorial! This recipe makes enough for 36 mini cannoli’s filled very generously.

Here is the recipe ingredients:

2 1/4 cups confectionary sugar
6 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 3/4 cups of heavy cream
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 lbs. ricotta cheese, drained
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips

Bring milk to a boil over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla. Mix sugar and cornstarch in bowl and combine. Add to milk and stir for 20-30 minutes until you have a thick carmelly custard. Let cool. Add cream cheese and beat. Add ricotta that has been draining and beat until creamy. Fold in chocolate chips and refrigerate several hours or over night. Pipe in cannoli shells. More detailed below:

2 1/4 cups of confectionary sugar.

Add the 6 tablespoons of cornstarch to the 2 cups of sugar and mix in bowl. Set aside.

1 tablespoon of vanilla. Yes, 1 tablespoon, you are reading this correctly.

Using a strainer, put your 2 pounds of riccotta cheese inside bowl to drain off excess water. You can even do this the night before. Just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Only use whole milk riccotta.

1 8 oz package softened cream cheese.

1 3/4 cups of heavy cream.

Using a 4 quart sauce pan, heat the 1 3/4 cups of heavy cream to a light boil. Make sure you see the little bubbles. We don’t know why, but the large pan makes a difference.

Add vanilla to boiling milk. Then add sugar/cornstarch. Bring to boil over low heat.

Stirring constantly for 20-30 minutes, being careful to completely touch the bottom of your pan with each wisk so not to burn. The sugar will be very hot and lightly bubbling the entire time.

After cooling slightly, your sugar mixture should look like this. Very close to a soft caramel or thick custard.
You can put in another bowl if you want it to cool quicker.

add 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese to sugar mixture.

Mix sugar mixture and cream cheese until smooth.

Now add the drained 2 lbs of riccotta cheese.

Beat the riccotta, cream cheese and sugar mixture until creamy.

Using only half the bag of the mini’s. This is much easier to fit thru a piping tip.

Add half the bag of mini chocolate chips and fold into the cheese mixture.

After adding chocolate chips, the consistency is like instant pudding. Put in the refrigerator for a few hours to overnight.

The consistency now is that of a thick ice cream, perfect for piping.

Using a large #825 tip, fill bag with cannoli cream.

Fill each shell, piping one side then the other.
**We bought our shells from Uncle Guisseppe Grocery store which makes them homemade for 2.99 for 12 mini’s (if anyone is interested in making their own, we have a recipe; just let us know)

Dust with confectionary sugar and arrange on platter.