Cannoli tart

This year is going by so quickly. I can't believe another month has gone by because it's time for another What's Baking challenge. This month's host is Nicole from Seven Ate Nine (cute blog name, right?). She selected "Chow Ciao Italiano" as our theme. We were asked to bake something Italian dessert-inspired. Gelato, tiramisu and cannoli all popped into my head. Since neither gelato nor tiramisu required baking, cannoli was the default winner.

I didn't want to buy any special ingredients for my cannoli, so I didn't want to purchase a cannoli tube (plus, those cannoli shells are traditionally fried... again, this doesn't meet the requirements for a baked good). I thought that the next best thing would be to bake a cannoli tart (this cannoli cheesecake is incredibly good too).

And, timing-wise, this would be the perfect treat to take to work for my friend Eddie's birthday. I actually was so preoccupied on his actual birthday that I forgot to wish him a happy birthday! I brought him this cannoli tart a week late, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Eddie and our coworkers enjoyed the tart very much. I loved smelling and tasting the homemade cinnamon crust and liked the flavors it brought to the filling. The soft ricotta filling was reminiscent of a real cannoli, and I know that the Amaretto helped too.  =)  Happy belated birthday, Eddie!

Cannoli tart
Crust

• 2 cups sifted flour
• ½ cups and 1 TBSP granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅓ cups cold butter
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP milk of choice

Cannoli filling

• 2¼ cups ricotta
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons Amaretto liqueur
• ½ cups chocolate chips or chunks

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

For the crust: In your food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and pulse a few times until the crust resembles pea-sized clumps. Then add the egg and milk and pulse the dough turns into a large ball.

If you do not own a food processor, you can mix this by hand: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut in the cold butter until you achieve pea-sized clumps. Using your hands, mix in egg and milk and knead the crust into a ball.

Using a rolling pan or a cylinder-like surface (like a wine bottle or coffee can), roll the dough into a circle so that it is slighter larger than a deep dish pie or tart pan. You may want to place the dough in between two sheets of parchment paper, waxed paper or plastic wrap to prevent it from sticking to your working surface.

Grease your deep dish pie or tart pan with butter or cooking spray. Place the rolled out dough onto the pan and gently push the dough into the sides. Remove any excess dough. Chill the pie/tart pan in the refrigerator.

For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer), mix together the ricotta, egg, sugar, and Amaretto on medium speed until just combined. Stop the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Remove the cooled pie dough/pan from the refrigerator and pour the filling on top of the crust. Use a spatula to smooth out the top. If desired, you can sprinkle on additional chocolate chips or chunks.

Bake the pie in your preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes or until the crust is golden in color and the filling has slightly poofed up.  Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Pie can be served cold or at room temp. If desired, you can dust the top with powdered sugar or drizzle the top with melted chocolate. The pie should be stored either at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an airtight container and will keep for about 3 days.

Yield: About 6-10 servings

Source: Tasty Kitchen