Mini Cannoli Dip Cups Recipe

Mini Cannoli Dip Cups, take the BEST cannoli dip, spoon into mini cups, top with chopped nuts and chocolate chips, and serve with Cannoli Chips and you have the best bite-size dessert! This Mini Cannoli Dip Cups recipe is an easy homemade dessert for a crowd or party! Plus a video below to help you make these individual Mini Cannoli Dip Cups.

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These Mini Cannoli Dip Cups are my latest cannoli obsession since my Cannoli Cookies and Best Cannoli Dip recipes! I love how cute these turned out! Start with my best cannoli dip and go from there. These bite-size desserts don’t take long at all. However, be careful, if you like cannoli cream filling you may eat most of the cannoli dip before it makes it to the little cups! Or maybe that was just me….Ha!

I could probably eat about 100 of these mini cannoli bites, but I didn’t. But I definitely could. These little dessert cups would be such a fun idea for a party or even a wedding reception!

How to Make Mini Cannoli Dip Cups:

Start with a batch of my best cannoli dip! I think the cannoli dip is the best just the way it is, but feel free to change it up to your preference. See my original post for Best Cannoli Dip for more tips and suggestions and substitution ideas.

Once you have your cannoli dip put together (it takes like 5 minutes…), use an ice cream/cookie scoop to place the dip in each individual cup. If you don’t have a trigger scoop, I highly recommend!

For the cups, you could use things you have around the house such as shot glasses, dessert bowls, or whatever. I used these disposable little 2 ounce plastic cups.

I put about 3 tablespoons of dip in each cup which made about 21 cups. You could definitely put less dip in each cup such as 2 tablespoons, and then get about 32 cups. The dip recipes makes approximately 4 cups of dip, so figure out how many cups you want, and go from there.

Once you have the cannoli dip in the little cups, place a few Cannoli Chips in each. You could also use apple slices, graham crackers, broken up ice cream cones or waffle cones, vanilla wafers, or a wide variety of other cookies or crackers. See what to serve with cannoli dip for even more ideas.

If you want or need these to be gluten-free, just be sure to use a gluten-free cracker/cookie or fruit rather than some of the other options.

Once you have your Cannoli Chips in place (or whatever you’re using…), sprinkle some more mini chocolate chips and chopped nuts on top.

I used chopped walnuts because that’s what we had around but chopped pecans or pistachios would also be great. Some people do not like nuts in their cannolis so you can just omit, no problem!

Of course if nut allergies are a concern and you want a nut free dessert, be sure to omit the nuts. No need to substitute anything else.

You could also sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top although be sure to do that right before serving because it could melt right into the dip. The Cannoli Chips have powdered sugar, so I chose not too.

To make these Mini Cannoli Dip Cups ahead of time, here’s what I suggest doing. Spoon or scoop the dip into the cups. You could even sprinkle the top with mini chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for up to a few days.

THEN before serving add the Cannoli Chips (or fruit, cookies, crackers, etc.) and the chopped nuts. The Cannoli Chips will get soggy if left in the dip too long and so will the nuts. If you want to dust with powdered sugar, I suggest as I mentioned above, do that right before serving.

Check out this quick video showing how easy this Mini Cannoli Dip Cup recipe comes together:

Would love to hear if you make these!

Hope you enjoy these cute bite size desserts!

5 from 5 votes

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Mini Cannoli Dip Cups Recipe

Mini Cannoli Dip Cups, the best cannoli dip in a bite-size dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 21 cups (makes about 4 cups dip)

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese drained if needed
• 1 (8 ounce) container Mascarpone cheese
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Topping (optional):

• mini chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts

Serving Suggestions:

• apple slicesgraham crackers, cannoli chips, vanilla wafers, broken ice cream cones or cannoli shells, etc.

Instructions

1. Place ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and well combined.
2. Mix in vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
3. Top with mini chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

SNAPPY TIPS: I suggest using full fat ricotta and mascarpone cheese to make a thicker creamier dip. If your cheese has any liquid, be sure to drain. You can make smaller or bigger cups but your yield will vary. 

SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: Instead of mascarpone, you could substitute cream cheese.