When it comes to delicious desserts, a classic cannoli ranks right up there among the best desserts around. This Italian dessert made with a light, crispy pastry shell and stuffed with a creamy cheese filling is hard to improve upon.
But one fall flavor might just have what it takes to take on the traditional cannoli: pumpkin. A dash of pumpkin spice brings warmth and coziness to any dish, so why not bring to together with a pastry icon? That’s what Lisa from Snappy Gourmet did with her pumpkin cannoli recipe, and we are ready for this autumnal upgrade!
Adding unsweetened canned pumpkin is such a clever addition to the classic cannoli filling that we wish we’d thought of it ourselves. It blends perfectly with the creamy mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, and a dash of orange zest and vanilla elevates the pumpkin spice flavoring.
Lisa keeps the recipe simple by encouraging readers to pick up cannoli shells either at the grocery store or online. Making your own cannoli shells is time-consuming and a challenge even for experienced bakers. So don’t sweat picking up the shells at the store!
Be sure to pick up plain unsweetened pumpkin puree for this recipe — canned pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and has spices mixed in, so using it will seriously alter the recipe. You’ll also need either some pastry bags or larger zip-top storage bags with one corner cut off for filling the shells with minimal mess.
This pumpkin cannoli recipe takes only 45 minutes to put together and makes 24 large servings. Lisa provides easy, step-by-step directions and helpful extra tips to make your cannoli come out perfectly.
As easy as this recipe is, Snappy Gourmet has another that’s even simpler — pumpkin cannoli dip! For this brilliantly shareable dessert, there’s no need to fill the cannoli shells. Instead, just mix up the filling and use broken shells to scoop up the yummy dip.
Happy fall!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
