This Holiday Cannoli Parfait takes everything you love about classic Italian cannoli and transforms it into an elegant, no-bake layered holiday dessert.
Creamy cannoli filling, with crushed waffle cones, sweet strawberry jam or crushed fresh berries, and mini chocolate chips, then finished with a generous swirl of whipped cream.
Served in clear, fancy glassware, these are a showstopper dessert and perfect for Christmas parties, holiday dinners, or any occasion where you want a quick, impressive dessert that still feels special.
Holiday Cannoli Mousse is elegant to serve and a no-bake, fabulous addition to any dessert table all year long!
A Fun, Easy, Elegant Holiday Cannoli 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 tastes just like a cannoli, except it's a light and fluffy mousse form in a dessert cup.
Why you will love this Recipe for Holiday Cannoli Mousse
- No oven required - ideal for busy holidays.
- Classic cannoli flavors without frying shells
- Elegant presentation in individual glasses
- Make-ahead friendly for entertaining
- Customizable layers to suit your taste or theme
Garnish Ideas For Cannoli Mousse
- fresh sliced peaches
- sliced fresh strawberries
- fresh raspberries
- chopped figs
- pistachio or toasted almonds
- hot fudge sauce
- strawberry puree or another pureed fruit
- warmed jams any flavor
Other Festive Ideas
- Tint the mousse green with food coloring or pink (plus this dessert is perfect for baby showers or wedding events
- Use a shot glass for just an appetizer sweet treat for the holiday at parties
- Make an assortment of these ahead of time when hosting a dinner party
- Set up a serving bar so they can top their dessert with what they like in your assortment of toppings
No Cannoli Shells Substitutes
- crushed waffle cones
- baked pie crust
- graham cracker crumbs
- almond crushed cookies IE Amaretti
- chocolate wafer cookies
- chocolate chip cookies crushed
- shortbread cookies crushed
- sugar ice cream cones crushed
- ladyfingers
- sponge cake, other cake crumbs
- crushed butter-flavored pretzels
Tips for making the Best Holiday Cannoli Mousse
- Drain ricotta well to prevent a watery filling
- Use clear glassware to show off the layers
- Add jam sparingly so it doesn’t overpower the filling
- If you can't find waffle cones, use a favorite vanilla-flavored crunchy cookie
- Pipe the filling using a pastry bag or zip-top bag for a polished look.
- Crush cones just before assembling for maximum crunch
- I always taste the ricotta and the cream to ensure it's sweet enough after adding sugar
- 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 can 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
- If you want it sweeter, add more powdered sugar.
- We love cinnamon, add more or less depending on the crust
- I also love Amaretto or almond flavoring with chopped pistachios in the filling, with swirls of hot fudge sauce.
- Create your own experience and the dessert you like
Serving Glassware Suggestions
I love to mix and match serving glasses.
Whether served in a full trifle dessert dish, mini trifle dishes, wine glasses, dessert cups, or mini mason jars.
They look so elegant in all different style and choose fancy vintage Christmas glasses for a festive look.
Wine glasses, shot glasses, champagne glasses, and parfait cups in glassware or plastic stemware all work great.
The individual, easy-to-prepare style glasses give everyone their own style and a special holiday dessert.
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 crust you're using IE cannoli shells into the food processor adding the cinnamon until they are ground fine. Set aside.
- In a chilled glass bowl, beat the whipped 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 with any shape of your 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 them 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
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