Mini Frozen Cannoli Cheesecake Bites, perfect bite-size Italian dessert for potlucks and parties. Takes my Cannoli Cheesecake Bars one step further!
How to Make Mini Frozen Cannoli Cheesecake Bites
To start, you’ll need some cheesecake, so make a batch of my Cannoli Cheesecake Bars. Follow the directions exactly for the cheesecake BUT you can omit the powdered sugar on top when they’re done if you’d like.
There’s plenty of sugar in the chocolate you’re going to add, so the powdered sugar is not necessary but completely optional.
Once your cheesecake is cooled slightly after baking, place it in the freezer for about 2-3 hours or until frozen.
I lined my pan with parchment paper (which I strongly recommend…) so I could pop the frozen cheesecake right out of the pan and place on a large cutting board.
Use a long serrated knife if you’d like cut the edges off of each side. Totally optional, but it does help create even little squares and you’ll probably want to sample it at this point anyhow, right?
Cut the cheesecake in half then half again so that you’ll have 4 pieces. Cut each of those again in half, then half again. Continue until you have 64 little pieces. Or you can cut them into any size/shape you want but you may end up with more or less cheesecake bites.
Place the cheesecake bites on a silicone mat lined baking sheet (you’ll see why this is a good idea a little later…) and back in the freezer until frozen again and while you work on the chocolate.
While your cheesecake bites are back in the freezer, place the hot cream over the chocolate chips. let it sit for a few seconds then stir until smooth. If you still have some chunks of chocolate, you can place in the microwave (or over a double boiler) for a little bit at a time until melted.
Let the chocolate cool and come to room temperature while your cheesecake bites are still in the freezer. If the chocolate is too hot, it will start to melt your cheesecake.
Carefully dip each frozen cheesecake bite into the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off slightly then turn over and place the cheesecake bites back on the lined baking sheet. The silicone mat will make it easy to clean up and prevent the cheesecakes and chocolate from sticking to the pan.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups waffle cone crumbs (about 10-12 cones)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
8 ounces ricotta cheese room temperature (full fat preferably)
8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature (full fat preferably)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Topping:
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom and two sides of 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cone crumbs and butter. Press mixture into bottom of the prepared baking pan to form a thin even crust.
