What's better than a no-bake dessert at Christmas time when you're so busy?
Cannoli Mousse is that wow factor dessert that will give your family, friends that special dessert that you've been looking for.
Look no further, you have the easiest dessert you will ever make and taste like a deconstructed Italian cannoli.
This mousse is so smooth, creamy and just the perfect flavors. I just can't get enough of this dessert.
I made it festive for the holiday table for a festive look and a quick way to have an elegant dessert in no time.
Thank, me later! Your welcome!
Just scroll down to the recipe card and print it off it's that simple if you don't want to read all my wonderful reasons why I love this dessert so much.
A Fun Elegant Dessert
If you love Italian cannoli pastry, you will love this dessert.
It's a fun way to eat a cannoli in elegant glasses that are the perfect ending to that delicious holiday meal.
No-Bake is my favorite way to make desserts!
The decadent dessert taste just like a cannoli except it's a light and fluffy mousse form in a dessert cup.
Holiday Time
For years when working crazy hours in retail during the holiday, I had no Christmas spirit to cook or bake long hour style foods.
It's terribly draining for moms with little children and working folks to spend hours in the kitchen preparing for the holiday.
Look no further this decadent dessert is going to wow everyone and it's a no-bake dessert.
Easy to Make
Seriously, if you love Italian cannoli, this is going to be your new-found favorite recipe.
The filling is light and delicious with a little hint of cinnamon and using ricotta and whipped cream to make a creamy mousse.
The parfait is easy to build.
Great Anytime of the Year!
This dessert is a refreshing creamy and full of Italian flavors.
You can make this any time of the year, not just Christmas time and choose the flavors you love.
The summertime is a perfect time also to make this delicious treat with some fresh fruits of choice.
Change it up!
The toppings changed to any of your favorite flavors for garnishing.
You can add raspberry or strawberry jams between layers, a hot fudge sauce or even add some fresh fruits of choice (like strawberries) if you want to change it to a fruit dessert.
I kept this simple to the colors of Christmas to a true cannoli flavor using crushed cannoli shells.
No Cannoli Shells?
Don't worry if you can't find cannoli shells.
You can use crushed sugar cones or waffle cones, Amaretto cookies, buttery flavored pretzels or any other cookie you like, to build your parfait.
Just make sure you put them through a food processor to finely crush them.
Ingredients You Will Need Holiday Cannoli Mousse
- Whipped Heavy Cream
- Ricotta Cheese Whole Milk
- powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- pureed cannoli shells ( or use sugar ice cream cones, waffle cones, graham cracker with cinnamon, ground butter flavored pretzels or Amaretti cookies) ground in a food processor till fine. Save some for garnishing.
- cinnamon if using graham crackers with cinnamon omit
- vanilla
- miniature chocolate chips
- ground shelled pistachios or slivered almonds tinted green for garnish
- maraschino cherries for garnish
The Filling
The whipped cream and the ricotta combined with a little sugar makes this a delicious mousse rich and thick filling.
The rest of the flavor combinations are just an easy layer of each ingredient that will transform into this deliciously decadent dessert.
Serving Glasses
I love to mix and match the serving glasses.
They look so elegant in all different kinds.
I chose wine glasses, shot glasses, champangne glasses and parfait cups.
The individual easy to prepare style glasses gives everyone their own style and special holiday dessert.
Tips
- Always chill the bowl for whipping the cream and the beaters.
- I always taste the ricotta and the cream to ensure it's sweet enough.
- You can add other flavorings other than vanilla-like orange or lemon rind grated.
- You can dip the cherries in chocolate or use fresh strawberries on top.
- Almonds must be tinted with green food coloring if you don't use pistachios.
- If you want a nice swirling effect use a piping cake decorating bag to fill your cups with.
- I taste the filling before just following any recipe. If you want sweeter add more powdered sugar. We love cinnamon I add more or less depending on the crust I use.
- I also love Amaretto or almond flavoring with chopped pistachios in the filling with swirls of hot fudge sauce. Create your own experience and dessert you like.
More Recipes We Love
Best Holiday Italian Recipes
Lady Finger Lemon Dessert
Best Side Dishes
Game Day Recipes
24 Kinds of Cookies
Holiday Cannoli Mousse Pin for later

Holiday Cannoli Mousse
Yield: 8
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 10 M
This is a no-bake cannoli mousse parfait rich with all the flavors of a cannoli but deconstructed in individual parfait glasses to celebrate festively at Christmas
ingredients:
- 2 cups Whipped Heavy Cream
- 1 16 ounces container of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 cup pureed cannoli shells ( or use sugar ice cream cones, waffle cones, graham cracker with cinnamon, ground butter flavored pretzels or Amaretti cookies) ground in a food processor till fine. Save some for garnishing.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon if using graham crackers with cinnamon omit
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 of miniature chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup ground shelled pistachios or slivered almonds tinted green for garnish
- maraschino cherries for garnish
- Parfait cups or shot glasses in different sizes or just fancy plastic cups
instructions:
How to cook Holiday Cannoli Mousse
- Place the cannoli shells into the food processor adding the cinnamon until they are ground fine.. Set aside.
- In a chilled glass bowl, beat the whip the cream using 1/4 cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
- In another bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and vanilla and cinnamon into the ricotta cheese, fold in 1/4 cup mini chips and the whipped cream until evenly blended into the ricotta.
- Save the rest of the mini chips for the top for garnish and cannoli crumbs.
- Starting with the ground cannoli shells, layer the parfait glass any shape of choice on the bottom of your glass.
- Spoon the mousse on top of the crushed cannoli shells.
- Garnish the cannoli mousse with ground pistachios, more mini chocolate chips and a maraschino cherry on top.
- You can eat them right away, make ahead of time the night before needed.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Calories
225
225
Fat (grams)
15
15
Sat. Fat (grams)
6
6
Carbs (grams)
15
15
Net carbs
8
8
Sugar (grams)
21
21
Holiday Cannoli Mousse Pin for later
Don't Miss My Holiday Italian Recipe Roundup Click Here
Don't Miss My Other Favorite Holiday Collections!
Easter Recipes
Game Day Recipes
Best Holiday Side Dishes
Red White and Blue Recipes
Halloween Roundup
Thanksgiving Recipes
Christmas Recipes
Love how festive and delicious this dessert looks. Love that it is no-bake! Perfect to make during the busy holidays.
ReplyDeleteSo much less fiddly than a regular cannoli but all the benefits! Love it.
ReplyDeleteI do love cannolis so I can guarantee I will love these! Having these in a cup add a fun flare too!
ReplyDeleteHow very festive and delicious!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like something the whole family would love!
ReplyDeleteThese are perfectly festive! I'm definitely giving it a go, and trying out some of your suggestions for change ups too!
ReplyDeleteI just love this idea Claudia! Anything kind of dessert you can serve in a cup is awesome. The flavors are amazing like cannoli, but super easy.
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks awesome! So good for a festive dessert
ReplyDeleteOMG this looks DIVINE. I am definitely making this tomorrow night! This is a good idea and amazing recipe too. Something very unique and colorful.
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect! Love gtting all of the wonderful cannoli flavor but so much easier!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious. So easy too and love the flavors.
ReplyDeleteMmm, I would like to eat it now. I can not live without sweets and I add this dessert to my favorites list. I will try to do it tonight if I can wait that long!
ReplyDeleteSo elegant and delicious! My family will love this!!
ReplyDeleteOf course I love cannoli -- they would take back my Italian birth certificate if I said I didn't simply adore cannoli and now you have it in a mousse form. I can almost taste that creamy goodness. This is a dessert worthy of serving Christmas guests!! I'll be making it soon.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a delicious dessert to serve not only during the holidays but after any Italian dinner. Wishing you all the best in this new year.
ReplyDeleteThis dessert is delicious! I love Italian desserts, especially cannoli, and eating with a spoon is Heaven.
ReplyDeleteElegant & easy is just what I need over the holidays! Love this!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds wonderful, and a great way to eat cannoli gracefully~ I always get it all over my face :) Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Looks so festive and scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so good. I love all the possibilities for fun serving glasses. Can't wait to try!
ReplyDeleteA special holiday treat, we will love this! Hope you had a great Christmas and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday,516. We hope to see you back here again soon!
ReplyDeleteMiz Helen