cannoli chips and dip

​Have you noticed how popular cannoli chip and dip trays have become? You couldn’t miss the trays at Wegmans on New Year’s Eve. Wegmans charges $17 for their 26 ounces tray. The ingredients to make the cannoli shells may even be in your pantry. Besides the usual ingredients, you’ll need red or white wine, shortening (Crisco), confectionery sugar, mini chocolate chips and whole milk ricotta. I went to Wegmans this morning and picked up a 15 ounce container of Galbani Whole Milk Ricotta for $2.79. I had leftover white wine in my refrigerator. I was ready to go!

---

​Using my stand mixer, the dough came together quite quickly. After kneading the dough a couple minutes, I wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and had to let it rest for an hour. After an hour, I rolled the dough out between two non-stick silicon sheets and cut out 2-inch squares, but you can make them larger. After frying the chips in corn oil, I realized I should have doubled the recipe as I have more dip than chips. When the chips came out of the frying pan, I transferred them to a dish lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. After cooling, it was time to dust them with confectionery sugar. I placed the chips and dip on a pretty dish and I was ready for serving.
 
The cannoli filling was also easy to assemble. I think I should have placed the ricotta in a mesh strainer for a bit to allow any water to drain out. Overall the filling was delicious. As I didn’t have mini chocolate chips, I chopped the regular chips into small pieces.
 
Had I thought ahead, I should have posted this a bit sooner for New Year’s Eve. However, with the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day coming up before you know it, this will make a great dessert for either event.

I just served the chips to my son and daughter-in-law tonight for dinner. They were a big hit!

---