Cannoli Dip is a lightly sweet recipe that tastes like cannoli filling but with the convenience of a quick and easy dip, made with ricotta cheese and flavored with orange zest, semisweet chocolate, and crunchy pistachios!
¼cupsalted pistachioschopped, for garnish (optional)
For Dipping:
Fresh strawberries, Pizzelle cookies, broken sugar or waffle cones, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, etc.
Instructions
Set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and line with cheesecloth or several layers of paper towels. Scoop the ricotta cheese into the strainer, fold over (or lay more) cheesecloth/paper towels over the top, and weigh down with another (somewhat heavy) bowl. Place in the refrigerator and allow to drain for at least 6 hours but up to overnight.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the drained ricotta and powdered sugar until creamy. Blend in the vanilla and the orange zest. Add the softened cream cheese. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until creamy and slightly fluffy. Add the mini chocolate chips and fold in until just combined. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes but ideally 1 hour.
Just before serving, sprinkle the Cannoli Dip with chopped pistachios. Serve with fresh strawberries and pizzelle cookies, or your preferred dippers. Store leftovers, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 or 4 days.
Notes
If you're not sure how "orange-y" you want your dip, start with ¼ teaspoon of zest, and then taste before adding more (¼-teaspoon at a time). Or for a "plain" Cannoli Dip, you can omit the orange zest altogether.
Mascarpone may be substituted for the cream cheese.
The longer you beat this dip, the fluffier it will become.
You can make this dip up to 24 before serving...any longer and it could start to get watery. If necessary, stir before serving and don't garnish with the pistachios until the last minute.
Similarly, any leftovers could start to separate and/or become watery after a couple of days, depending on how well you drained the ricotta. Stirring should take care of it if this happens.