I could give Dom orchids, the modern anniversary gift for twenty-eight years of marriage, or I could give him Orange Scented Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream Dip with Pizzelle Chips. What do you think?
I’ll let you in on a little secret – I already gave it to him…and I am here to tell you – I chose right! Fyoooo!
I sent him a text the other day and declared that he was about to fall in love with me all over again when he sees what I had made him. And you know what? Right again!
My guy’s a real foodie. He loves most everything he tries, but he loveloveloves his Italian food. I am guaranteed a smile when anything Italian is on the menu, which, let’s face it, is most of the time. He chose right in marrying me (winkwink)…and I definitely chose right in marrying him…
Twenty-eight years, tomorrow (actually thirty-two years if we count our dating days)… each a testament to love and friendship.
Though no two of our 10,220 days married have ever looked the same, the one thing that has remained constant since day one is how lucky I feel to be on this journey with him.
Okay, I’m about to get as sugary as this cannoli cream dip is sweet but I have to share the day I fell head over heels for my big guy… It was a radiant September day, a magnificent fall day all dressed up in rustling leaves with the hint of a glow of late day sunshine casting its perfect amber glimmer over campus. My boyfriend came all the way from Staten Island to visit me in Buffalo for a weekend less focused on academics and more focused on fun. Showing up in his newly whiskered face, baby blue pinstriped shirt, Levi jeans, cowboy boots, wearing cologne that would soon become his signature scent, with his beaming smile and easy manner…something shifted. In the time it took for us to walk from the dorm parking lot to Neumann Hall, my adolescent crush had turned into something more. This was the day, actually the moment my world shifted. I was done. He was it. And I’ve been thanking my lucky stars ever since.
So how could I not create something I knew he’d love?
I’m going to let you in on another little secret – I’m not always in the mood for cannoli. There, I said it. However, I’m always in the mood for cannoli cream with mini chocolate chips, so – I thought to myself, why not make a dip and serve it with say fresh fruit or pizzelle chips? So, that’s what I did.
To make the cream extra special I added orange extract and zest which creates a gorgeous punch of citrus, along with my favorite mini chips. Yep, this is a dip I’ll be serving on the days I don’t want to make cannoli shells but still want to enjoy the flavor of cannoli. It hits the spot in every which way.
Creamy, sweet and delicious…perfect for an evening shared by love birds.
Buon Appetito!
PrintOrange Scented Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cream Dip with Pizzelle Chips
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- Cannoli Cream Dip
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- zest from one orange
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- Pizzelles
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together until smooth, ricotta, mascarpone, powdered sugar, extracts and orange zest. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Fold into the ricotta mixture.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill until ready to eat.
- In the meantime prepare pizzelles.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs and sugar until fully combined and light in color.
- Add oil and vanilla and mix again.
- Sift flour and baking powder, add to egg mixture and mix a final time.
- Batter will be thick and dough like.
- Follow directions given for use of the pizzelle maker.
- When machine is preheated, drop by heaping tablespoons on the center of the grid.
- Bake for approximately 35 – 40 seconds (depending on your preference for browning).
- Remove pizzelle from the grid and place on the counter to cool.
- Serve pizzelle pieces (chips) with the chilled cannoli cream dip.
We’re not finished yet….
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CIAO!
Amanda | Yum In Your Tum says
This looks amazing Annie! I am sure your husband loved it. That is such a sweet story you have, congratulations on 28 years of marriage! YUMMY!! Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Annie says
He did love it! My day was made! Thank you so much for your sweetness, friend! 🙂
My Dish is Bomb says
That story is so adorable!! I love how there are these moments in life where things just hit you…you just…know. Huge congrats on 28/32 years of successful dating + married life!! And holy moly CANNOLI this looks amazing!
Annie says
Holy Moly Cannoli! Love it! Thank you, dear! 🙂
Stacey @ The Sugar Coated Cottage says
I’m late to the party! Cannoli cream is amazing and this orange scented chocolate version is wonderful, chocolate and orange combo holds a special place in my heart. Take care.
Annie says
Hey! You made it to the party! Wootwoot!! Now it can begin! Thanks for your kind words, my friend! 🙂
Kevin | Keviniscooking says
I’d want these, too. I really loved that wedding day photo you had up on FB, so perfect and your story here is beautiful Annie.
Like these, um, delectables. These pizzelle chips with your dip is perfect and I think this Monday must be ricotta day! 🙂
Annie says
Awhhh! Thank you, my friend! Hard to believe 28 years have gone by…too fast! It must be ricotta day – love it! 🙂
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Happy 28th Anniversary to you both!! What a momentous occasion. Also, now I must mark my calendar off for two years from now when y’all hit the big 3-0! (Not counting dating days, of course) 😉 And yeah, I’m thinking that this dreamy cannoli cream dip is just, um, a MILLION times better than anything else you could get for Dom. So glad that the rest of us not in the incredible relationship still get to enjoy this anniversary-level recipe. Thanks for sharing this deliciousness Annie! Pinning this! Have a great week, my dear. 🙂
Annie says
Thanks, dear! Ahhh! So sweet – and so glad you like it! After 28 years I’m getting pretty good at knowing what my guy likes! 🙂
Mir says
Happy anniversary to you two! I cannot imagine a more festive way to celebrate than with putting cannoli cream into the mix. Italian food is the best food, after all!
Annie says
Right on! We definitely see eye to eye on that one, my friend! 🙂