Sicily is famous for its desserts, and one of the island’s most popular sweet is cannoli, long tubes of fried dough filled with sweetened ricotta cheese.

It’s not easy making the tube-shaped shells, but the filling is a snap to make—just whip ricotta with a little sugar and chocolate chips or candied fruit, if you like. To get the crunch of the shell, without all the frying and fuss, you can scoop up the ricotta with crunchy cookies, like Falanga’s pistachio croccante, or just crumble them on top. All the taste, with only a few seconds of effort!  Find where to buy these exceptional cookies on dolceitalia.com/falanga.html.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

12 ounces whole milk ricotta

4 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons chocolate chips, optional

2 tablespoons candied citron or candied orange peel

8 to 12 crunchy cookies, such as Falanga pistachio croccante

Preparation:

1. Put the ricotta and sugar into a bowl, and using electric hand mixer, beat until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips and candied fruit, if using. Refrigerate for an hour until set.

2. To serve, divide the ricotta mixture onto 4 serving plates. Crumble 2 cookies onto each plate and serve the rest of the cookies whole.

For more delicious dessert ideas, visit our Recipe File.