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Hello, foodies…

I hope you had an egg-cellent Easter! Did you put your leftover ham to use with my Ham Loaf and Mashed Sweet Potato Topping? Or maybe my Deviled Egg Ham Salad? I’ve got a few use-up-those-leftover recipe ideas on QVC.com, do a little browsing and put all that yummy food to good use!

I’d like to ask you today’s blog question a little early, foodies: what’s your favorite part of a cannoli? The crispy shell or the creamy filling? Cannoli filling makes me weak in the knees. But you have to have that bite of the cannoli shell to pull the whole dessert together. I guess no matter how you slice—or bite—it, cannoli is one of the most perfect desserts out there. The only downside is that they’re a little tricky to make. Until now…

I LOVE muffin pans! Who would have guessed you could make some shut-the-front-door good cannoli in a muffin pan? Many thanks to our talented girl Chef Andrea for helping us make such an AWESOME recipe. Here’s the written recipe for my Cannoli Cups, which you can find under “David’s Recipes” on QVC.com.

Cannoli Cups
Yields 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold


• 1-2/3 cups whole milk Ricotta cheese


• 1 cup powdered sugar


• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract


• Zest from 1/2 orange

Cups:

• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box


• 4 Tbsp turbinado or raw sugar


• 1 tsp ground cinnamon


• Mint sprigs for garnish


• Orange rind for garnish

Directions:

1. To prepare the filling, beat the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment until medium peaks form. Refrigerate.


2. Whisk together the Ricotta, powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest in a medium-size bowl until evenly combined. Gently fold the whipped cream into the Ricotta mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.


3. To prepare the cups, preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with oil spray. Unroll the pie crusts onto a lightly floured surface and evenly sprinkle the top of each crust with 2 Tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Using a rolling pin, gently roll over the pie dough, pressing the sugar and cinnamon into the dough, until the dough is about 1/8” thick.


4. With a 4.5” round cookie cutter or cup, cut out circles and lightly press each circle inside the prepared muffin pan to create the cannoli cup. Using a fork, dock a few holes in the bottom of the crust. Bake the cups on the bottom rack of the oven for 13–15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the cups from the oven and let them cool completely.


5. To assemble the cannoli cups, place the filling into a piping bag and fill the cooled cannoli cups. Garnish each cup with a sprig of mint and a piece of orange rind.

This recipe is prepared using the KitchenAid 5-Qt 325-Watt Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with 2 Bowl Liners (K39835).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

While sweets are on your mind, I should tell you that I’m REALLY excited about Wednesday’s Cookbook Corner® title. Southern Living is back with their Southern Cake Book. I have three words for you, foodies: Chocolate Turtle Cake.

Tune in to In the Kitchen with David at 8pm ET for more on that!

Keep it flavorful!
—David