Serve these fancy Cannoli Whipped Cream filled Puffs for dessert this Christmas~

Bake these Cannoli Whipped Cream filled puffs this Christmas…your family will be super impressed!!
The best thing is that they look fancy but are really quick and easy to put together….

I’m starting with the filling….because this can be made the day or so ahead.

Now…..not only am I lucky enough to be married to The Butcher, but we happen to be very good friends with the Pasta Men over at Ferrara’s Pastosa Ravioli in North Babylon. Charlie and Michael make the amazing fresh ravioli and pastas which we carry at the Meat Market.

The reason I am telling you about the Pasta Shop is because in order to make this fresh cannoli cream you will need Impastata which is a form of Ricotta Cheese. Charlie otherwise known as the Pasta Man, was kind enough to give me the low down on all of the different types of Ricotta Cheese.

There are Ricottas used for fillings of fresh pasta and for pastry cream called Ricotta Impastata. Then you have Ricotta Rigatoni  which is a very thick Ricotta and will stand up like jello if you remove it from the carton. This type has no salt added and is used in specialty Italian cakes and dishes. Pastosa also has the fresh Ricotta, which is homemade the old-fashioned way, and sold in a metal can. It is a little more expensive, but is made fresh and would be delicious as a topping for bruschetta. The main difference between all of the different type of Ricotta Cheese is the water content. When making Lasagna you could  use Polly~O Brand Old Fashioned Ricotta that is vacuumed packed. It is a little thicker, with less water content. The Polly~O Brand Original has more water content and is best used for Baked Ziti and  to top off a dish of pasta or as a condiment

Visit Pastosa pasta shop to purchase this Impastata when you decide to make these cream puffs. They always have large quantities of cheese on hand, and I am sure they would love to sell you a pound or two.

 

You will find my recipe for Cannoli Whipped Cream  by clicking through the gallery below. It is not completely  traditional since I do not add  cinnamon oil, but I find that it is very kid friendly! My boys just love it:)

 

Scroll to the bottom of this post for pastry shell recipe.

Below is the how to on the Cream Puff Shells….
These literally take 7-8 minutes to prepare and about 20 minutes to bake. They can be made the morning you plan to serve them and filled right before putting them out….In reality though, when things are hectic and you are planning a big get together, I would bake the shells the day ahead and cover them loosely with plastic. Leave them on the counter. Fill them just before you plan to serve. They will taste just as delicious!

 

Click through the gallery for step by step instructions.

The complete recipe is posted below the gallery.

 

This recipe will make about fifteen Pasty Shells

Ingredients for Pastry Shells:
One cup of all-purpose flour
Half cup of water
Half cup of whole milk ( although I used one percent and they came out delicious!)
One stick (8 tablespoons) butter
Half teaspoon of salt
Four Eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

In a medium size saucepan combine water, milk, butter and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Stir with a wooden spoon and add the flour all at once. Stir quickly until the mixture forms a ball in the center of the pan. Continue to cook the mixture for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

Immediately add four eggs and beat with the wooden spoon to combine. This will take about two minutes and look very lumpy in the beginning. Keep stirring quickly and the mixture will come together with a smooth consistency.

Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for twenty to thirty minutes, rotating the tray once for even baking. The timing is tricky because every oven bakes differently. Most important is only open the oven once (at the fifteen minute mark) to turn the tray. Bake until they are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for ten minutes on the tray, then move the puffs to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling with your favorite cream or pudding.

Merry Christmas!