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Cherry Garcia Inspired Cannoli

A cherry-and-chocolate cannoli filling inspired by Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream, studded with Amarena cherries and bittersweet chocolate chips.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian-American
Servings 20 cannoli

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups ricotta cheese strained if too wet
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups powdered sugar adjust to taste
  • 3 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 4 cups 72% bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 16 oz jar pitted Amarena cherries chopped with syrup
  • Cannoli shells store-bought

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form.
  • Add in the ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, and Amarena cherry syrup; mix well until smooth and creamy.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped Amarena cherries.
  • Taste the cannoli cream and adjust the sweetness by adding more powdered sugar if desired.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
  • Once chilled, fill cannoli shells with the cream just before serving.

Notes

  • Shortcut: You can use a pre-made cannoli mix and doctor it up instead of making the filling from scratch.
  • Shells: Cannoli shells are hard to make and time-consuming, so we typically buy them — we recommend Ferrara shells, available at Restaurant Depot.
  • Too Thin? If the cannoli cream seems too thin, thicken it by draining it in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Keyword amarena cherry, cannoli, cherry garcia, chocolate chip cannoli filling