Mini Cannoli Puffs

I have an obsession with puff pastry. There. I said it.

Puff pastry is seriously a godsend. I mean really, you can wrap up a delicious cheesy chicken filling like for my Chicken & Broccoli Empanadas, you can make apple turnovers, and you can make the easiest, most scrumptious little cannoli puffs.

For the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, we invited friends over for a themed food party. Each person/couple had to choose a country and bring native food. Of course, Mike chose Italy, so I made bruschetta, fried ravioli, champagne punch, and these great little treats! Super easy for a fun party with friends!

Total Time: 25 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Yield:  24 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 box Puff Pastry cups
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash cinnamon
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips or chocolate syrup, for decorating

Directions:

1. Bake puff pastry cups according to package directions. Let cool on a cooling rack, at least 10 minutes.
2. Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined and ricotta is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use or use right away. (The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.)
3. When ready to serve, place ricotta filling inside a pastry bag fitted with a medium-large star tip. (The filling will want to drip out of the tip, so make sure the tip is placed inside a cup or the front of the bag is bent upward.)
4. Decorate with chocolate chips on top or a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Enjoy!!