Hammonton NJ Inspired Blueberry Cannoli

We have family in Hammonton NJ and every year they have their Blueberry Festival and of course they sell everything blueberry, which has inspired me to do my take on the Hammonton Blueberry Cannoli.

This cannoli mix can be made from scratch as listed below or if one desires to speed it up or lack the time or energy, you can also buy a pre-made cannoli mix and doctor it up.

The Cannoli shells are hard to make and time consuming so we typically purchase. In this case we recommend Ferrara which we get from Restaurant Depot

Ingredients:

• 4 cups ricotta cheese (strained if too wet)
  -1 cup of heavy cream
• 2 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste)
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 4 cup of 72% bittersweet chocolate chips
  -blueberry syrup

Blueberry syrup
1 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen jersey blueberries
1 1/2 cup of water
2/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form.
   2.Add in ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, amarena cherrie syrup and mix well until smooth and creamy.
   3.Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped blueberry syrup along with pulp.
   4.Taste the cannoli cream and adjust the sweetness by adding more powdered sugar if desired.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
3. Once chilled, your cannoli cream is ready to use! Fill cannoli shells or use it as a filling for pastries, cakes, or even as a dip for fruit.
4. Enjoy your delicious homemade cannoli cream!

Note: If the cannoli cream seems too thin, you can thicken it by placing it in a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels and letting it drain in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

To make syrup:
1.In a small saucepan, add your blueberries, water, and sugar. 
2.Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 7-10 minutes.  Use a spoon or potato masher to mash the blueberries as they soften.
3.Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice. Allow to fully cool.