Orange Scented Cannoli Dip

This classic Italian pastry is now a decadent dip – perfect for entertaining or any time you need a quick & easy dessert recipe for a crowd!

Have you tried cannoli? It’s a very popular dessert here in New York. You can find it at almost any Italian pastry shop, but if you want the best cannoli you need to find a place that fills the shells fresh right when you order them.

There’s nothing worse than a once crispy pastry shell that has gotten all soggy and sad from being filled early in the day, then sitting in a dessert case for waaaaaay too long.

And making them at home takes a lot of effort and timing, as well as some special tools. Sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy for all that.

Enter this cannoli dip.

A while back, I picked up a boatload few containers of ricotta cheese on sale from the wholesale club. I knew I wanted to make a few cheesecakes for the holidays, but I wasn’t sure what else to make.

Turns out I needed a quick, easy dessert recipe to bring to a New Year’s Eve party. A friend of mine recommended cannoli dip, and I knew that I needed to make it happen!

I had actually tried cannoli dip for the first time at a party a while back and it was super tasty. So it was perfect timing to try it out in my own kitchen.

My friend mentioned that she likes to add orange zest to her cannoli dip, and I couldn’t agree more. Some people aren’t into the orange flavor with their cannoli, but it was a very welcome addition in this instance.

I amped up the orange flavor a little more by including fresh orange juice as well. It was just the right amount, and it really enhanced the dip nicely.

I went with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I love these from Ghirardelli) because larger chips make this dip a little too clunky.

I thought I found cannoli chips at the grocery store for dipping, but they were actually Polish Chruściki or “Angel Wings“. They worked out BEAUTIFULLY for this though – the texture was perfect to go with the dip.

And one of the party hosts is originally from Poland and was really excited to see them. Success!

I had initially planned to do a baked cinnamon sugar tortilla or pita chip type of thing to go with this dip, but I’ll totally buy these again next time. They were a match made in dessert heaven!

Print