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Holy Cannoli Cookies Recipe (Italian Christmas Cookies)

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Holy Cannoli Cookies, an easy recipe for cannoli cookies with ricotta, chocolate chips, and pistachios! Fun Italian Christmas cookies, inspired by Italian cannolis, that will make a great additional to your Christmas cookie baskets and gifts this year!

(For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links.)

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - a fun twist for easy Italian Christmas Cookies with ricotta, chocolate chips, and pistachios! SnappyGourmet.com

Ever have a cannoli? Growing up with an Italian American parent, we had cannolis regularly and they are one of my favorite desserts! Since we’re approaching Christmas cookie season, I thought it was about time to make some Holy Cannoli Cookies, inspired by one of my favorite Italian pastries! These Cannoli Cookies may not be an authentic Italian cookie recipe, but I love them as my own Italian Christmas cookies!

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - a fun twist for easy Italian Christmas Cookies! SnappyGourmet.com

Ohhh how I love making an assortment of cookies for the holidays, don’t you? My Elvis Inspired Cookie Cups and Chocolate Turtle Cookies are always a popular choice, but thought I’d try some new flavors and cookies this year and thus these fun Holy Cannoli Cookies were born!

These Cannoli Cookies have a cake-like texture, and no they do not taste exactly like cannolis. Nothing tastes exactly like a cannoli besides a cannoli. But they are delicious and have a lot of great flavor!

Cannolis are different to different people, so if you make substitutions or changes, you may have different results.

What is a Cannoli?

Wondering what the heck a cannoli is? Maybe we should start with that.

Cannolis are from the Sicily region of Italy but have become very Americanized. I asked a lot of my Italian American friends what kinds of cannolis they grew up with. Like pizza, everyone had their own favorites!

Cannolis are made up of a fried pastry dough tube and generally filled with sweetened ricotta cheese. Cannolis may be plain with the sweetened ricotta and no additional ingredients. Or  the cannoli filling may contain such things as chocolate chips, candied fruit, citrus zest/juice, wine, pistachios (or other nuts), maraschino cherries, and/or cinnamon.

You can usually find cannolis at most Italian bakeries, specialty grocery stores, and even sometimes your neighborhood grocery store.  You can even find a cannoli kit on Amazon and sometimes at local specialty grocery stores. Even our Costco carries a great cannoli kit around the holidays.

Or if you’re wondering where to buy cannoli shells so you can fill them yourself, try these different types on Amazon or your local specialty grocery stores. You can even ask the Italian bakeries to sell you just the cannoli shells so you can make your own filling of choice.

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - Italian Ricotta Cookies and fun twist on Cannolis! SnappyGourmet.com

How to Make Cannoli Cookies:

(Full printable recipe is at bottom of the post. Be sure to check out my How to Bake Cookies that are Perfect Every Time for great cookie tips.) 

There are many MANY varieties of Cannoli Cookies. I’m not sure I’d say any are really authentic Italian cookies (so don’t send me hate mail….) but rather a fun twist on the Italian pastry.

To make things easy, I made the whole cannoli cookie dough right in one bowl. You probably should mix the dry ingredients separately and be a little more careful, but I really didn’t want a huge cleanup. Feel free to be more careful if you’d like. :)

To start, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Then mix in the eggs.

Next mix in the ricotta cheese. You can use regular or low fat ricotta cheese, although I would not use a no fat substitute, nor would I substitute cream cheese or cottage cheese.

Then mix in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and orange zest to the cannoli cookie batter. The cinnamon and orange zest aren’t really strong in this recipe, but they do give a nice subtle flavor.

When all of that is well mixed, mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt followed by the flour.

Stir in the mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios. If you want you could substitute your favorite chopped nuts and/or chips.

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - a fun Italian Christmas Cookie recipe! SnappyGourmet.com

Cover and chill the dough about one hour or until it firms up just a little more. Then using a cookie scoop or spoons, spoon the cookie dough onto lightly greased baking sheets or baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake the cookies for about 8-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool for a few minutes then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - a fun twist for easy Italian Cookies! SnappyGourmet.com

When the cookies are completely cool, melt the rest of the chocolate chips and drizzle over the cookies. Allow them to sit a little while until the chocolate sets.

Then it’s time to enjoy these cookies with a big cup of coffee or how about Italian Hot Chocolate! Yum!

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - fun Italian Cookies and twist on cannolis with ricotta, chocolate chips, and pistachios! SnappyGourmet.com

Are you ready to make some cookies this year? Happy baking!


Here’s a quick video to show you the recipe for Cannoli Cookies from beginning to end:

Hope you like these easy Holy Cannoli Cookies!

Check out some of my other popular cookie recipes including my Mudslide Cookies, S’mores Bars, Buckeye Thumbprints, and Strawberry Daiquiri Cookies!

Cannoli Cookies Recipe - fun Italian Cookies and twist on cannolis with ricotta, chocolate chips, and pistachios! SnappyGourmet.com
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4.74 from 34 votes

Holy Cannoli Cookies

Holy Cannoli Cookies, easy Italian Christmas cookies and fun twist on the Italian pastry! These one bowl cookies are full of flavor with ricotta cheese, chocolate chips, and pistachios and have a soft almost cake like texture!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 26 minutes
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs then ricotta cheese until well combined then mix in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and fresh orange zest.
  • Next, mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Mix in the flour. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and the pistachios. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop or spoon, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough for each cookie leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
  • Bake cookies at 375 degrees F for about 8-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool slightly then move to wire racks to cool completely.
  • Microwave remaining chocolate chips on high in a small microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Spoon melted chocolate into a small resealable bag, clip one corner slightly, then drizzle melted chocolate over cookies. Let cool for chocolate to set.

Notes

SNAPPY TIPS: Some brands of chocolate chips melt better than others for drizzling. A semisweet (or dark) chocolate bar will also work well instead of chips for melting and drizzling. (These cookies do not need to be refrigerated after being baked. Store in an airtight bag or container like other cookies.)
SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: Use your favorite baking chips and nuts instead of the mini chocolate chips and pistachios if you'd like. 
MAKING SUBSTITUTIONS OR CHANGES TO THE RECIPE AND/OR INGREDIENTS CAN CHANGE THE RESULTS OF THE COOKIE.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keywords: easy cookie recipe, homeamde Christmas cookie
Did you try this recipe?Tag @SnappyGourmet or #SnappyGourmet!

Looking for other Italian dessert recipes? How about this Tiramisu from Electric Blue Food? Love that it’s made in little glasses! Or this Chocolate Panna Cotta from Inside the Rustic Kitchen looks heavenly! These Almond Biscotti from Munaty Cooking look so easy to make!

Cannoli Cookies - easy Italian Christmas Cookie with pistachios, chocolate, ricotta, and orange zest. SnappyGourmet.com

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Comments

  1. Just made them. Delicious! They have replaced my ricotta cookie recipe. I have no luck melting chips, so I ended up making frosting. For new bakers, I suggest to buy an oven thermometer and only put cookies and cakes in oven, when correct temperature is reached. We can’t have nuts but one cup of chips was plenty. So happy to have found your site.

    Reply

    • So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies! Melting chocolate chips can be tough depending on the brand. Chocolate bars tend to melt better if you want to give that a try instead.

      Reply

  2. Oh doing the recipe in a 13x9x2 pan came out beautifully. Cut them into little squares and everyone loved the little cakes. Sprinkled the top with mini chocolate chips while it was still hot.

    Reply

  4. These are amazing!! I’ve made them multiple times and made 12 dozen just the other day, for a cookie exchange. I have to make more tonight, last minutes notice and on limited time. My step-daughter needs to make an “Italian dessert” for her class, and it counts as an actual grade. My question is, is refrigerating the dough 100% necessary? I don’t think we have enough time if we need to refrigerate the dough. *Panicing*

    Reply

    • OMG 12 dozen?? You are amazing! Glad you like them! Well it’s not 100% necessary but the cookies may flatten a bit and you may be a bit disappointed but don’t think a bunch of kids would notice. I would suggest if you have time, bake one (while you put the rest of the dough in the fridge), and see if you like it. You could also flatten out the dough in a large sheet pan (rather than a deep bowl) and refrigerate or freeze for a little while. A shallow pan would help expedite chilling the dough. Best of luck to your daughter!

      Reply

      • Thank you! We actually wound up having enough time to refrigerate for about 45 minutes. They came out wonderfully! The kids loved them, and the teachers went crazy over them!

        Reply

  5. I made these yesterday for a party and everyone loved them, they vanished in no time! They are so tasty and easy! I love the hint of orange from the orange zest, it’s subtle not overpowering. My mini chips melted easily in the microwave. I put them in for 30 seconds, stirred, and then put them in twice more for 20 seconds each. Once on the cookie the chocolate wasn’t hardening fast enough for transport so I just stuck the whole batch in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and that solved the problem, they survived the trip fine. I am making them again this weekend for another party on Saturday and am doubling the recipe.

    Reply

  6. I’m not a fan of cannoli and I pretty much despise anything orange flavored (although I do like oranges themselves). LOVE the cookies and I even added a 1/4 tsp of orange extract to punch up the orange. This is the 3rd time I’ve made these and the melted chocolate was not adhering to the cookie so I might try the powdered sugar. Overall awesome cookie!

    Reply

    • Happy to hear you love the cookies! Powdered sugar is a great alternative! Sorry the chocolate didn’t work out. Some chocolate seems to melt better than others so can cause some issues. Happy holidays!

      Reply

  7. I am making them tomorrow 12-15-18……will they last until Christmas? Should I freeze them? I am making them for a cookie exchange but would like to have some for Christmas Day Desert.

    Reply

  9. I’m dying to try these, however, I like to make my cookies 2 weeks in advance, and usually freeze them. How far in advance can you make these and how should they be stored. I would also like to try to dip 1/2 of the cookie in chocolate. I love making cannoli’s, but it is a lot of work. Thank you for the recipe. They sound delicious.

    Reply

  10. Thanks for posting this recipe! I stumbled upon it while searching for a cookie recipe to make for the office cookie exchange. These came out very nice and were a hit! In terms of the ingredients and amounts, I followed the recipe exactly. However, these took a bit longer then 8-11 minutes to cook, more along the lines of 15-18 minutes for me. I will definitely make these again!

    Reply

  12. These are delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe.

    I am not sure why the rest of my mini morsels didn’t melt in the microwave, but I had some left over dark chocolate morsels that melted just fine.

    And the trick with the plastic sandwich bag for drizzling chocolate on top worked like a charm. I found that shaking it back and forth did a fine job of distributing the chocolate evenly.

    Reply

    • So happy to hear you enjoyed! These Cannoli Cookies have been quite popular. :) Unfortunately, some chocolate chips melt better than others. Someday I probably should test all the different brands. :)

      Reply

  14. I made these this weekend and O.M.G. They are to die for. They are light and cakey and honestly dangerous to have around, you can’t stop at just one. They are far and away the best cookies I’ve ever had, and I am a serious baker. Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

  16. I made these yesterday and they are delicious. I’m definitely going to bake these for Christmas time :) xx

    Reply

  17. PLEASE HELP!!!! I made the dough earlier & I’m almost positive I added 1 cup of Ricotta Cheese instead of 1/2 cup. I’m supposed to be baking these tomorrow for Christmas….what should I do?????

    Reply

    • Uh oh! I would suggest baking just one cookie to start and see how it turns out. It might be ok, but I’m not sure. Otherwise you could make a double batch and add additional ingredients.

      Reply

  18. These cookies are soooooooo beyond delish! These are definitely going on the list of must bake cookies for Christmas ! I did cut the orange zest down to 1/2 a tsp….but will probably add the full one next time. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!

    Reply

  21. They came out AWESOME! So delicious, even better the next day. Just the right hint of orange, and the pistachios make the cookie. I doubled the recipe, used a whole bag of mini chips, used another whole bag of chips melted for the top. I used salted nuts and omitted the salt as suggested. WOW.

    Reply

  22. So I made these last night and I took them out when the bottoms browned. After letting them cool and breaking them in half, the tops were still doughy. Is there a way to test them for doneness to make sure they are completely cooked through ? The outside tastes amazing, so I want to try again.

    Reply

    • Hmmm, they definitely should be cooked through. Could be a lot of things so hard to say. I’d suggest making sure you put the pan in the middle of the oven (not too close to top/bottom near heating elements). Make sure pan is cool before putting cookies on them. Also could be the pan itself. If it’s old, warped, or an odd material it could cook the bottom of the cookie quicker than the rest.

      Reply

  23. Is the orange zest a strong flavor in this? Sorry I thought I posted earlier, but I don’t see it here. Thinking about omitting it if it is ….but don’t want to mess up the recipe.

    Reply

    • I wouldn’t say A LOT but you do taste it. Personal preference I guess. You can omit but will change taste of cookies. Maybe just add a little, taste the dough, then add more if you’d like.

      Reply

  27. I made these and found I have to cook a couple minutes more. I was surprised they were more cakelike than cookie consistency. Glad to see it verified here. Thought I messed up! I used Hershey’s dark chocolate morsels. They melted easily but never hardened up on the cookie. This made stacking too messy. I prefer idea of powdered sugar as there is already chocolate in the cookies.

    Reply

    • Yes, I noted in description they are cake like. Not sure what happened with your melted chocolate but it should have hardened up. Sometimes it takes awhile for chocolate to harden.

      Reply

    • Hi, sorry to hear that. There are some suggestions above in other comments. It could be a lot of things. I’d double check your baking powder is still good. I used a cookie scoop and did not flatten the cookies. If you made any ingredient substitutions such as margarine, that can make a difference. If your dough was not fully chilled that can make a difference too.

      Reply

  30. I just love cannoli’s and couldn’t resist trying these. So glad I did they are just delish; a definite add to my baking list.

    Reply

  31. Delicious cookies. Made the dough Friday and baked Saturday. So glad I used the unsalted pistachio nuts. Thank you for this addition to my Christmas cookie collection.

    Reply

  32. These cookies were very good although they did not taste like cannoli they tasted more like a chocolate chip. Maybe it was something I did. But a good cookie

    Reply

  34. Should these cookies be refrigerated? Getting ready to make, but concerned about how they should be stored. Please reply soon.

    Reply

  35. Made these today. Delicious!! Recipe says it makes 36 cookies so I doubled. All I can say is HOLY CANNOLI I got 120 cookies lol. Next time I will not double the recipe.

    Reply

  37. My cookies spread out thin? What could I have done wrong (I followed the instructions)? Family loves them, but I wanted them to be more cake-like & thick like your pictures.

    Reply

    • Oh no! Hmmm, mine were definitely NOT thin. They should be thick and cakey. Did you make any ingredient substitutions like margarine for butter or anything else? Did you refrigerate the dough until it was well chilled? Maybe also check your baking powder and baking soda. Check the expiration date and test the powder in a little water, soda in something acidic like vinegar, and both should bubble if still active.

      Reply

      • Maybe that was it… I got the baking soda from my neighbor & she told me to just keep it, she was getting more! lol. I didn’t change a thing. :) Thanks for getting back to me

        Reply

  39. I just finished baking a triple batch of these delicious cookies for a cookie exchange. They are so easy to make, came out soft and cakey and the orange zest/cinnamon makes your whole kitchen smell like Christmas! Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

    Reply

  40. These were Ok , didn’t taste that much like a Cannoli to me . First batch was a bit bland , definitely better with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. (Also added some sambuca to the second batch just to experiment) Note these are more of a cakey type cookie

    Reply

  41. MY NEW FAVORITE!! These are DELICIOUS. Tastes exactly like a cannoli. Thank you for sharing this great recipe 😊

    Reply

  42. I am going to try this. I may also try powdered sugar instead since that is a huge party of real cannoli cream. Also May I suggest Impastata ( Italian imported dry ricotta)
    For the woman who can not use Ricotta, maybe try Mascarpone instead.

    Thanks

    Reply

  43. I just made a batch they taste good but very flat not fluffy like pic? was a muffing tin used or just a flat cookie sheet? I am going to make them again. They were cakey but not fluffy at all ????? can you suggest any ideas

    Reply

    • Hi Bob! The cookies definitely shouldn’t be flat. I did not use a muffin tin, just a regular cookie sheet (see video on post). Did you make any ingredient substitutions or changes? That can make a big difference such as if you used margarine instead of butter, egg substitutes, gluten free or low carb/low fat ingredients, etc. Did you refrigerate the dough for at least one hour until cold? I’d also make sure your baking soda and baking powder are not expired and test them (put a little baking soda in something acidic like vinegar and see if it bubbles, and same with baking powder in water). Hope that helps!

      Reply

    • My first tray resulted flat cookies too… then I used a cookie scoop ( looks like a small ice cream scoop ) and I actually rolled the dough into balls before baking … this stopped the cookies from going flat … also I make sure my pans are completely cooled before putting on the next batch to bake.
      Hopes this helps!!!

      Reply

    • I just posted the recipe a couple of weeks ago and haven’t heard of anyone freezing the raw dough. I would be hesitant to do so because of the ricotta in it.

      Reply

  48. hi lisa, can these cookies be made gluten free and if so would i have to add zantham gum to the recipe.thank you tammy

    Reply

    • Hi, I have not tried substituting gluten free flours so can’t say for certain. I would suggest using a gluten free flour substitute that you are comfortable with or have used before that can be substituted 1 for 1 for the flour.

      Reply

  49. Hi Lisa,
    After you replied to my question about the ricotta, I made them.
    If it helps anyone, President’s Choice ricotta has no liquid in it, compared to the many Italian companies.
    This recipe was so easy to follow.
    The cookies turned out beautifully & they were so delicious. My family was eating them before I had a chance to make the chocolate topping.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  50. I am allergic to ricotta but love canoli. I have always gotten them with a cream filling not ricotta. Is there a substitute for the ricotta in this recipe? I would truly love to try these as they look delicous. I appreciate your help or advice.

    Reply

    • HI, I have only tried with ricotta so I can’t say how if and how it will turn out with other things but you could maybe try softened cream cheese, sour cream, or maybe even plain unsweetened greek yogurt.

      Reply

    • Hi! The ricotta I used did not need to be drained because there wasn’t any excess liquid. If the ricotta you buy has a lot of liquid on top, I would drain it first.

      Reply

  56. Hi Lisa,
    I plan on making these for Christmas. Your recipe is intriguing and sounds delicious. Would you suggest unsalted pistachios, and roasted or raw? Thank you so much. I didn’t rate these as I have yet to prepare them, but I can’t wait to try them!

    Reply

    • Hi! Any would work, more of a personal preference. I used chopped raw unsalted, but salted would be fine. If you do use salted, I would suggest omitting the salt in the cookie dough. You can also use chopped walnuts or pecans if you prefer. Hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas!

      Reply

      • Well, I finally made these tonight and they truly are delicious. They were light and tender, and the flavors melded beautifully. Even my husband said they were great after “testing” 3 of them, 2 with powdered sugar and 1 with drizzled chocolate. I had a devil of a time with the drizzle. Nestle semisweet chips did not work for me but a Girardelli baking bar did. Does anyone know how LONG it will take for the drizzle to set up enough to store the cookies?? My first tray also spread a bit more than I liked, so I took another commenter’s suggestion and rolled the cooled dough into balls. IMHO this dough is way too sticky for a cookie scoop; just get your hands dirty! Great addition to my Christmas cookie repertoire.

        Reply

        • Happy to hear you enjoyed and thanks for the comments! If you’re in a hurry for the chocolate to set, I’d suggest just sticking them in the fridge on a single layer on a baking sheet or something for a few minutes. That’s generally what I do because I lack patience. :) I didn’t have any problems with the dough being too sticky for a cookie scoop after the dough was refrigerated but rolling in a ball is a great idea too! Thanks again!

          Reply

    • Does the orange zest come through a lot ? I like it but I know my family doesn’t like too much. Would it be fine to omit completely or do you think it need at least a little bit ?

      Reply

      • I wouldn’t say A LOT but you do taste it. Personal preference I guess. You can omit but will change taste of cookies. Maybe just add a little, taste the dough, then add more if you’d like.

        Reply

  58. I made my dough on Friday and baked them Saturday, worked great. The only thing is that I used chocolate chips not the mini chips bad idea, Mini chip next time. Very easy and a nice addiction to my Christmas cookies. Thank you

    Reply

  60. Made these cookies this evening for a holiday cookie exchange, and doubled the batch. They came out nice and fluffy, like a cake-ish cookie. *I’d also like to note that I used vegan butter 1:1 in this recipe.
    After I put a batch in the oven, I put the bowl of dough back into the fridge while I waited for the oven timer to go off. This worked out perfect. The chilled cookie dough was easy to handle and put onto the cookie sheet, and each batch that came out of the oven (after 10 min exactly in 375 degrees) were baked wonderfully!
    Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

      • Lisa
        I made this last week for the first time. I found they needed a bit more time in the oven to get crispy around the edges. Are they supposed to be cakey rather than cookie texture? Also had hard time getting chocolate to melt to right consistency to drizzle. I’m going to try again. Any ideas to fix my drizzle issue?
        Btw, they were delicious without the chocolate but I know it would add another layer if flavor.

        Reply

        • Hi! Yes, they are a cakey cookie. As far as the chocolate consistency, some chocolate melts better than others. Chopped chocolate from a bar generally works better than some chocolate chips so that might help. You can also add a little oil or shortening to the chocolate if it’s still really thick. Some people preferred sprinkling powdered sugar rather than chocolate.

          Reply

  64. Can you tell me if these are good to freeze? I’m in the process of making my Christmas cookie list and would love to add these to it, but I need to be able to freeze them!

    Reply

    • I don’t see why not. I actually have some in the freezer now. :) Because of the chocolate on top, I’d suggest, freezing them individually first (I put mine on a silpat/silicone mat on a baking sheet), then bag them or put them in a container.

      Reply

      • I just made a double batch of these cookies. They taste amazing however my cookies spread on the pan. Can you tell me what I did wrong? I followed the recipe to a T but I did double it.

        Reply

        • I doubled the recipe and used room temperature butter but I did not refrigerate the dough. They came out plump little cuties! Maybe the baking soda or baking powder was out of date? Flour also expires. Whatever I’ve baked didn’t work out if the products were expired.

          Reply

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