Delicate pâte à choux pastry made with a bit of orange zest for enhanced flavor and filled with Cannoli cream. It’s also topped with some mini chocolate morsels and powder sugar for that perfect touch.
.%20Delicate%20p%C3%A2te%20%C3%A0%20choux%20pastry%20make%20with%20a%20touch%20of%20orange%20zest%20for%20enhanced%20flavor%20and%20filled%20with%20Cannoli%20cream.%20It%26%23x27%3Bs%20also%20topped%20with%20some%20mini%20chocolate%20morsels%20and%20powder%20sugar%20for%20that%20perfect%20touch.%20%7C%20from%20willcookforsmiles.com)
I am all kinds of a rebellious here. Yes, I just mixed Italian and French pastries to make this one amazing and delicate dessert. What you see is a wonderful light pâte à choux that was filled with slightly thinned Cannoli filling. Choux pastry was also cooked with some orange zest to enhance the overall flavor of this dessert.
I made my Cannoli cream a little thinner because the pastry here is so delicate, I felt that making a thick, ricotta heavy Cannoli cream would be too much. I do want to mention that the cream does not come out quite as thin as it looks in the photo. I left the pastries by the sunny window before taking photos for a little while (that’s what happens when you’re a mom), and some of the overflowing cream was softened by heat. (That Florida sun!)
My little guy enjoyed helping me with these pastries more than eating them. He is SO picky with his desserts, if it’s not fully chocolate, chances are he won’t eat it. He loved the pastry and he loved the chocolate chips but he preferred them without the cream. He actually liked pastry so much, that he learned how to say “pâte à choux” and was proudly saying it all night, while eating the pastry of course.
I actually think that my little sous chef prefers baking to cooking, which is not like mom at all. He seems so much more interested in the baking process, he loves messing with the dough and cutting out cookies, and he knows so many more baking term than cooking. I bet in a couple of years, you will start seeing his baking creations on my blog.
Cannoli Choux Pastry (Cream Puffs)
Ingredients
- Choux Pastry:
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- Zest from 1/2 medium orange
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- Cannoli Filling:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup powder sugar
- Zest from 1/2 medium orange
- 1 Tbsp Amaretto
- __
- Mini chocolate morsels for topping
- Powder sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pastry:
- In a small sauce pot, over medium heat, add butter, sugar, orange zest and water. Bring to boil and stir in flour with a wooden spoon until all combined and coming off the walls of the pot easily.
- Transfer into the bowl of an electric mixer and start adding eggs with speed set to medium-low, one at a time, making sure that each egg is mixed into the batter before adding the next.
- Transfer batter into a piping bag and pipe little round mounts, about 1 1/2-2 inches in size.
- Bake for 27-30 minutes, until nicely golden-brown. Cool completely.
- Cannoli Cream:
- Beat heavy cream and 2 tbs of sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer, with a whisk attachment, until soft peaks appear.
- In a separate bowl, whisk ricotta, sugar, Amaretto and orange zest until fully incorporated.
- Slowly, fold whipped cream into ricotta mixture until fully incorporated.
- Cut cooled pastries in the middle so they open.
- Divide cream filling among the pastries. Sprinkle with some chocolate morsels over cream.
- Dust pastries with powder sugar.
Notes
Check out these great recipes from other bloggers:
Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing from Brown Sugar
Imprisoned Apples from Food 52
Processor Danish Pastry & Cheese from Alexandra’s Kitchen
Roasted Garlic Puff Pastry Flatbread from Mother Thyme
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Kelly - LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE says
Had to tell you how cute these are! Popped up in my email and had to check them out. I love pate a choux. Such a versatile dough, and this is a great twist 🙂 Have a great Monday!
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Kelly!! So sweet 🙂
Rina I Thee Cook says
I love cream puffs! These look amazing!!!
lyuba says
Thank you, thank you, Rina!! 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Those look amazing and we’ll just call them 75% Italian with only 25% French 🙂 My heavens they do photograph well but that must be the Italian side of them — Italians do like to have their picture taken. I used to make puff pastry all the time for my father-in-law. He had a sweet tooth that wouldn’t quit. You’ve inspired me to do something with puff pastry once we get back north. Grazie for sharing!! (Photos are phenomenal!!)
lyuba says
Haha, you’re too funny!
Thank you, Marisa! Hope you have some fun with choux when you get back!
Desiree @The36thAvenue says
Please be my neighbor! Pinning!
lyuba says
With pleasure 🙂
Thank you so much, Desiree!