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Cannoli Dip with Mascarpone


Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 cups
Close up photo of a teal bowl filled with cannoli dip surrounded by crackers and strawberries.

This Cannoli Dip will have you feeling like you're indulging at an authentic Italian bakery! A thick and sweet dessert dip comes to life using just 5 ingredients that’s perfect for sharing or keeping all for yourself!

Ingredients  

  • cups whole milk ricotta cheese about 1 (15oz.) container
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream whipped, optional

Instructions

  • Place four layers of paper towels on a flat surface and spread the ricotta out over the top of them with a rubber spatula into a thin layer, but leaving a good perimeter around the edge of the towels. Use four more layers of paper towels to put on top of the ricotta and press to remove any excess moisture from the cheese. You may have to do 2 rounds of this depending on how absorbent your paper towels are.
  • Scrape the ricotta off of the paper towel and add it to a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add in the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and chocolate chips and mix until combined.
  • If you prefer a softer, smoother dip, you can fold in a 1/2 cup of WHIPPED heavy cream to the mixture with the chocolate chips. Pictures show the dip WITHOUT whipped cream.
  • Serve with your favorite fruits, cookies, and more.

Notes

  1. I don’t recommend using a cheesecloth to squeeze the ricotta because a lot of moisture still gets trapped in the center of the ball, using paper towels is a much more effective way to remove the excess moisture.
  2. Yes, there is a lot of vanilla in this recipe. You can reduce it, but I really think it helps smooth out the flavor.
  3. Many other recipes use cream cheese in cannoli dip, but mascarpone is much more authentic to an Italian dessert AND it’s not as overpowering flavorwise.
  4. This dip can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week after making, it will stiffen so let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes then rebeat with a hand mixer to soften it back up.
  5. Even though the ingredients add up to 4 ½ cups, once the ricotta has been drained it loses some of its volume and the recipe yields about 4 cups of dip.
  6. Up to an additional ½ cup of sugar can be added to make it sweeter, but I wouldn’t add more than that or the flavor of the sugar can become overpowering.

Nutrition

Calories: 771kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 1360IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 323mg | Iron: 1mg

Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/cannoli-dip/