Easy Cannoli Cream with Fresh Berries

This recipe for easy cannoli cream with fresh berries takes traditional cannoli ingredients and lightens them up into a fun and fast dessert. Dreamy cannoli cream surrounded by your favorite berries and sprinkled with enough graham crackers to give it a happy crunch!

If there is one thing the Southern husband and I cannot resist on a restaurant menu it is a cannoli.  There is something about that creamy, dreamy filling, usually flecked with teeny chocolate chips, and the crunch of the cannoli shell that has us at hello.

(And, shout-out to our favorite place to get homemade cannoli, Bici.  All you New Jersey/New York foodies?  You gotta go!)

However, while a traditional cannoli is a must-have every once in a while, I also wondered if I could pull off a slightly lightened up version that had the cream and the crunch.  So I messed around in the kitchen a while, experimented on the cannoli-loving Southern husband, and came up with this version that also includes sweet summery berries.  Happiness!

Here’s How You Make Cannoli Cream With Fresh Berries!

First of all, did you know cannoli cream is made with ricotta cheese? I associate ricotta cheese with things like lasagna and my go-to comfort food of scrambled eggs with ricotta, but it is an essential part of making an authentic cannoli, and don’t worry, we are going to sweeten it up.

But first, you need to whip up some cream until it is soft and fluffy.  Then mix up some ricotta cheese with confectioner’s sugar and a little vanilla, and fold the whipped cream and the baby chocolate chips into the ricotta mixture.  And voila!  You have made cannoli cream.

Put a dollop of cannoli cream on everyone’s plate – I aim for about a half cup or so – and surround the cream with a cheery ring of fresh berries.  I used raspberries and blueberries for my version, but strawberries and blackberries would also be scrumptious.  You be you, berry-wise.

And I haven’t forgotten about the sweet and crunchy cannoli shell!  I lightened that up by crushing up a couple of graham crackers and sprinkling the cannoli cream with the crumbs.  Just a little sweet crunch is just the ticket.

And last but not least, I garnish the whole thing with a mint sprig, mainly because they look so pretty and they are growing right outside my back door.

This recipe is super quick, and it is best if you make it right before you plan to serve it.  You can make it ahead if you need to, just be sure to let it come to room temperature before you dish it up so it is soft and creamy.

And with that, I will let you go find the fixings for my new favorite summer dessert!

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