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Italian Cannoli

Source: Sensational Stevia Desserts
By Lisa Jobs

Serving Size: 1 cannoli • Total Servings: 6

1˝ cups part-skim ricotta cheese, drain water, if necessary

Ľ tsp. stevia extract**

Ľ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. dried fruit, as used in fruit cake (optional)

1 oz. mini chocolate chips or carob chips (optional)

6 cannoli shells

**This stevia measurement is the minimum to use in the recipe. Since your sweetness preference and brand used may vary, you may need to increase accordingly. For your convenience, Sensational Stevia Desserts has a convenient chart with three stevia manufacturers’ measurements.

With electric mixer or by hand, blend ricotta cheese, stevia, vanilla and cinnamon thoroughly in a medium bowl.* Dice dried fruit in food processor and fold with chips in cheese filling. Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours. Fill 6 regular-sized cannoli shells and serve immediately.

*Using an electric mixer produces a creamier filling.

Lisa’s Note: I found two brands of delicious cannoli shells that you can buy to save yourself the extra work of making them. Ferrara and Bellino make wonderful cannoli shells that are available in many grocery stores. If you can’t find them in stores, you can order them online at www.shopviviano.com. J. Viviano & Sons, Inc. Italian Importers also has a store in St. Louis, MO (314-771-5476).

Sugar Comparison
1 cannoli (with chocolate chips and dried fruit)

Nutrition/Serving This Recipe		Traditional "Sugar" Recipe
Calories	178	259	Almost 1.5 times as many!
Fat	10 g	12 g	20 % more fat
Carbohydrates	15 g	31 g	More than double!
Total Sugars	9 g	26 g	Almost 3 times as many!
Protein	9 g	8 g
Cholesterol	19 mg	29 mg
Dietary Fiber	0 g	‹ 1 g
Sodium	85 mg	51 mg

Variation: Plain Cannoli
(without chocolate chips or dried fruit)

Nutrition/Serving
This Recipe

Calories 143

Fat 10 g

Carbohydrates 5 g

Total Sugars                   1 g

Protein 8 g

Cholesterol 31 mg

Dietary Fiber    0 g na

Sodium    54 mg 51 mg

Lisa’s Note: If you omit the chocolate chips and dried fruit, you will drastically reduce your carbohydrates from 15g to 5g and sugar from 9g to 1g! Wow! The plain cannoli are still outrageously good! For those who are on very strict low-carb diets, you can further reduce your carbs by cutting out the shell altogether and simply enjoying the filling!

The stevia taste is best when filling is refrigerated overnight and served the next day. If you’re in a hurry, serve refrigerated after a few hours for a similar effect. Believe me…these cannoli are so good, you’ll want to make them frequently. Not only are they delicious, but they are so easy to make and will be enjoyed by everyone. When I first developed the recipe, I was very apprehensive about presenting the cannoli to my Italian family. But I was thrilled when everyone— even my parents who were used to the finest cannoli from famous Italian bakeries of South Philadelphia—said they tasted great!