We are about a week into December and all around us are holiday decorations and happenings. On the television there are a wide variety of warm and fuzzy Christmas-themed movies and holiday baking shows. Cookie season has arrived. Some of us stick to old favorites (we’ll never say no to some Chocoate Chip, Peanut Butter, or Fudgy Chocolate Cookies), but some try to branch out and conquer new recipes. We are part of the “new recipe” crowd. Not that we don’t enjoy traditional cookies, all cookies are welcome, but experimenting can be fun! And, when it works out, delicious!
The cookies in this post were inspired by an Italian shop in Newtown, PA. As Kyle browsed their selection of pastries and cookies, the Cannoli Cookie really got his attention. These cookies were rich, cakey, and topped with a cannoli cream filling. He enjoyed his cookie experience so much that he knew he wanted to create a gluten free version to add to his holiday cookie repertoire.
Much to Kyle’s surprise, while researching traditional cannoli recipes, there is quite an array of results out there about what flavors and ingredients actually embody an authentic cannoli. Some called for any combination of Marsala wine, orange zest, lemon, or anise. Others completely abstained from including any chocolate while others garnished with crushed pistachios or chopped up maraschino cherries.
Considerably more confused than when he first started researching, Kyle decided to just emulate the flavors in the Cannoli Cookie from his sample in the bakery. The most prominent flavors were chocolate, cinnamon and a bit of citrus. Why stick to cannoli guidelines for authenticity (and the million versions of it) for a cannoli cookie anyway? A cannoli in cookie form is not authentic to begin with, correct?
Of course, you can use this recipe as a template for whatever flavors you prefer in your cannoli: a splash of Marsala would be welcome in the filling, the orange zest could be swapped out for the lemon zest, anise extract could replace vanilla, and you can use whatever toppings you desire – in place of chocolate chips, use some chopped pistachios or maraschino cherries.
The NY Times Cooking recipe for the Ricotta Cookies was quite successful when Kyle made the Lemon Ricotta Cookies, so he used that as a template for the Cannoli Cookies. For this recipe, he swapped out the lemon zest for orange zest and added a handful of chocolate chips. The Cannoli Cream was courtesy of Saveur. While the end result was quite delicious, there was one minor tweak that will be made to future batches, purely for aesthetic reasons.
When adding the cinnamon into the cannoli cream it created a brownish gray filling. Next time, Kyle will add the cinnamon into the dry ingredients of the actual cookie, which will produce a cleaner, more traditional-looking cannoli cream.
Using fresh Ricotta cheese instead of the pre-packaged version from the grocery store really yields a much richer and fluffier cookie and a creamier cannoli cream. This may sound a bit snobbish, but the results speak for themselves. If you can’t find fresh ricotta (which can prove difficult sometimes), thoroughly strain the ricotta cheese in a sieve with some cheesecloth overnight to improve the texture of your cookies.
This cookie was a popular addition to Kyle’s Thanksgiving dinner – they were quickly gobbled (wince) up from the dessert table. This is definitely a great addition to your cookie line-up this holiday season. I believe those doing the cookie eating will agree!
For all your holiday cookie needs, I highly recommend whipping up a batch of this Gluten Free Cookie Dough Flour.
Cookies adapted from NY Times Cooking.
Cannoli cream adapted from Saveur.
- For the cookies:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 210 grams (about 1 cup) granulated sugar
- 225 grams (8 ounces) ricotta cheese (about ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons), preferably fresh
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 240 grams (about 2 cups) gluten free cookie dough flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
- For the Cannoli Cream:
- 8 ounces ricotta, preferably fresh
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. orange zest
- ¼ cup miniature chocolate chips
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ricotta, orange zest and vanilla and beat well. Beat in the egg, then scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat to combine. Add chocolate chips and beat until incorporated. Cover dough and chill for at least 2 hours and up to a week.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Shape tablespoons of dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake until pale golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
- For the cannoli cream: Combine ricotta, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 3⁄4″-wide plain tip. Pipe ricotta mixture onto cooled cookies. Alternatively, spoon and spread a dollop of cannoli cream on top of each cookie. Garnish with a sprinkle of chocolate chips.
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