Cannoli Cookies

There’ll be no tandem post this week, but I understand we’ll have a special guest for next week’s post! Nance has been hard at work redesigning the site; doesn’t it look awesome? I haven’t had a chance to poke around as much as I’d like, so I’m sure it’s even more awesome than I realize!

To tide you over ’til next week, here’s a recipe. I found this recipe for Cannoli cookies somewhere online (I suspect Pinterest), and have made multiple batches since then. In fact, I like them so much that I’ve always got a few in the freezer, because they freeze beautifully and they’re small so they thaw out quickly (not that I always wait for them to thaw out, you understand.)

The taste reminds me very much of Terry’s Chocolate Oranges – they’re orangey and sweet, but not overly so. They aren’t my very favorite cookies – I have a Cooking Light chocolate chip cookie recipe that will forever be my favorite, and a scan through the site shows me that I actually haven’t posted that recipe here, which gives me an excuse to make a batch of them so I can do so – but they’re a very close second.

The original recipe came from FineCooking.com.

Your ingredients:

Cannoli Cookies (1)

All-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, softened butter, ricotta (whole-milk, not any of that reduced-fat nonsense), sugar, grated orange zest, vanilla, an egg, and chocolate chips. Sometimes I use mini chocolate chips, and sometimes I use regular sized ones because that’s  the kinda wild gal I am.

You know how to make cookies – I KNOW you do! – so this will all seem old hat to you. And it is. There’s nothing confusing or baffling about this recipe.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl, until well blended.

Cannoli Cookies (2)

With a mixer – whether stand or hand-held, makes no nevermind to me – beat the butter and ricotta on medium speed ’til it’s well-blended and fluffy, 2 – 3 minutes. Add sugar, orange zest, and vanilla, and beat another 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl down, add the egg and beat it. Just beat it.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low so that you don’t end up like this.

mixer
(Image source: imgur)

 

When the flour is almost completely blended in, add your chocolate chips and mix for a minute longer so that the chocolate chips are distributed evenly.

Cannoli Cookies (3) Cannoli Cookies (4)

Scrape the dough down from the sides, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then refrigerate ’til the dough is slightly firmer. It takes about half an hour if you’re in a hurry, but I usually leave it for an hour or more.

When the time is up, line your cookie sheets with baking liners or parchment (I always use parchment) and drop the batter by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart. I use my handy-dandy cookie scoop. I love that thing.

Cannoli Cookies (5)

Okay, listen. If you get hungry and pop one of those little balls of cookie dough right into your face, I’m not telling anyone. And you should, salmonella be damned, because it is SO FREAKIN’ GOOD.

I get around three dozen cookies from each batch.

Cannoli Cookies (6)

And as mentioned, they freeze wonderfully. I’ve still got six cookies in the freezer from this batch, which I made at the beginning of January. In fact, they’re calling my name, so SEE YA. I’ve got cookies to thaw out!

Cannoli Cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Original Source/Author:
: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Italian?
Serves: 36
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 oz (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ c. whole-milk ricotta, at room temperature
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 lg egg, at room temperature
  • ¾ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  2. With a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and ricotta on medium speed 2 - 3 minutes, until fluffy.
  3. Add the sugar, orange zest and vanilla, and beat another 3 minutes.
  4. Add the egg and beat until blended. Scrape the bowl.
  5. Add the flour mixture and mix on low. When it's almost completely blended, pour in the chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
  6. Scrape the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate 30 - 60 minutes.
  7. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Line cookie sheets with silicon pan liners or parchment paper.
  8. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto the line baking pans.
  9. Bake until the cookies are light golden, about 15 minutes (the cookies don't spread out very much).
  10. Let the cookies cool on the sheets on racks for 5 minutes, then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
  11. Store at room temperature or freeze in an airtight container. I freeze mine in a single layer, in a very large Ziploc bag.

 


Comments

Cannoli Cookies — 40 Comments

  1. The thing that piqued my curiosity was why they were called “cannoli” cookies. My idea of cannoli coincides with that of Wikipedia, which basically says the name is derived from Sicilian “little tube”. Your illustrations don’t look like tubes, and all the cannoli I’ve seen around here (New England) have some sort of filling. The only thing I can see in common is that whole-milk ricotta as an ingredient. In the cannoli it’s in the filling. In your cookie it’s in the dough.

    I suppose that makes them much easier to make since you (a) don’t have to roll out the dough and (b) don’t have to stuff the tubes. (although those actions would probably give you an excuse for all sorts of interesting comments and illustrations).

  2. Can I put in an order of those to go?? they sound yummy!

    oh wait, you mean for me to make them myself.. *sigh* I think this might be the one recipe you post I have to make..

      • Now you’re bragging about having so much money that you can afford to buy them in bulk. I’m coming down there and cutting down your money tree.

      • SHEETS of parchment paper?! SHEETS!? Nance – she is showing off because my parchment paper comes in rolls and you know her pre-cut fancy sheets are mo’ expensive!

      • I know! I buy mine in rolls too (once every other freaking year because I’m not a rich bitch like Robyn). She’s ridiculous.

      • Where do you buy it at because I have never seen it at 50% off anywhere here in PA? Now I’m all sad because I can’t even get a deal on that paper and freaking Robyn buys in in bulk. What’s wrong with this picture?

  3. So, you get 36 in a batch. Does that number include the “cookie-dough” cookies, or is that after you’ve eaten at least 6 cookies worth of cookie dough? 🙂

  4. gonna have to send this one to my mom (she bakes – me…not so much – the oven at my house is simply more counter space for stuff – and occasionally gets turned on for pizza)

    • My oven is often in use as a food storage area for food that the cats are likely to throw down off the counter to the dog. See the way it works is that I tell the kids to put the food away and they stuff it into the nearest available hole in the wall (sometimes it’s the microwave). I often have to empty out the oven to use it.

      • Our oven is used for leftover pizza. There have been times when we’ve tried to start fires by pre-heating without checking. When I was growing up it used to hold skillets.

    • Hmmmmm – I have no idea what that means. The pictures in this entry are broken? Robyn, would you see if Fred knows what’s going on? I’m clueless (and kinda hoping that Flickr just had a blip – please, oh please). We’ll get it figured out. 🙂

  5. Make cookies? Erm. You know about ASSumptions right? Cause I make cookies by purchasing a tube in the refrigerator section and eating them straight from the tube. 🙂

  6. Nance, I can’t believe you called Robyn out on the parchment paper and missed the fancy cookie scoop. I mean, there’s parchment paper rich and then there’s fancy cookie scoop rich.

    I have to wonder if the Cannoli label on these cookies is because the dough is similar to the dough you use to make the tubes for cannoli.

    (I also wonder if they’d be good with lemon zest instead of orange)

  7. Since it is a snowy cold day in the OK, I’m making these cookies. Of course, I don’t have any vanilla, so I’m substituting 1/2 tsp of Tuaca (a vanilla liqueur). The raw batter tastes pretty good, so I’m hopeful for the end result.

  8. Robyn, you left this part out of the print recipe
    …then refrigerate ’til the dough is slightly firmer…
    I was wondering why mine came out flat. I’m reserving judgment until tomorrow when they’ve “cured” a little. Right now, when they’re just barely cooled, I think they’re ok, but nothing I’d go out of my way for, but a good way to use up leftover ricotta.

    • No, it’s there under #6 – scrape the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 30 – 60 minutes. (Unless Nance edited the recipe, and it doesn’t show that anyone edited the recipe after I posted it last week.)

      I hope you like ’em better after they’ve “cured” – but if you don’t, you can send them to me. 🙂 (Not really! I made another batch for the freezer. I just love these cookies, and I never would have predicted that!)

  9. Farid, these pictures are so idlneribcy beautiful! You were able to completely capture the very special moments of our day. Thank you so much! I also wanted to let you know that the close up photo of me while I was getting ready is amazing bwecause it shows my something borrowed, the cameo earrings from my grandmother, and the emerald heart earring from my godmother/aunt. Can’t wait to see the rest!!!!!!!!

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