Cannoli Pancakes

Breakfast cannoli is a new-to-me idea but man I’m love these cannoli pancakes! One of my new favorite fun pancake recipes!

These Cannoli Pancakes are the ultimate decadent but fun pancake recipe. Loaded with sweet, creamy cannoli filling this breakfast cannoli is like starting your day with dessert!

Breakfast is a meal I don’t typically dedicate a lot of time to but when I do, I like to do it right! Boring and basic breakfasts don’t cut it for me and even though I love traditional pancakes, I’m always on the hunt for new unique pancake recipes.

These Cannoli Pancakes are my new breakfast obsession and my go-to special occasion breakfast or brunch item. Loaded with rich cannoli filling, Cannoli Pancakes are a truly decadent breakfast treat.

Have you ever made cannoli filling before? Sounds easy, right? Just some ricotta cheese blended with powdered sugar? Wrong! So wrong!

I bombed several times before landing on the right cannoli filling, so take my advice when preparing your own and prevent ending in cannoli disaster.

The key to a good cannoli filling is super dry ricotta cheese. Most recipes will tell you to drain it, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. Even if your ricotta seems to be dry to begin with, as most whole milk ricottas are, don’t be fooled.

You will be so sad and disappointed when you go to blend and your cannoli filling is a soupy, grainy mess.

How to Make the Perfect Cannoli Filling:

Use whole milk ricotta cheese and mascarpone. Mascarpone will add depth and creaminess to the final product.

Dry out your ricotta well. Drain it in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth in the refrigerator, uncovered overnight. In the morning, wring it in the cheesecloth to push any more moisture out. Roll the dry ricotta on a few paper towels.

Whip the mascarpone before adding ricotta. Whip the two together for several minutes to prevent lumps of mascarpone in the filling. Then add the rest of the ingredients.

I love using a double fold vanilla extract, of which I make homemade. It makes for a super rich and decadent filling.

More about delicious pancakes…

Cannoli is something I’ve always associated with dessert, so I was surprised to discover that breakfast cannoli is actually a thing. Pleasantly surprised, that is.

It was perfect timing to, on my quest for new fun pancake recipes. I love cannoli filling and I love unique pancakes so really, what could be better?

Since Cannoli Pancakes are so rich and sweet, they’re definitely best saved for a special occasion breakfast. As much as I love them, I definitely could not eat these daily.

Instead, I’ll be keeping this recipe up my sleeve for celebratory brunches and holiday breakfasts. This would even make a delicious Christmas morning brunch!

One thing to keep in mind is that since the ricotta cheese for the cannoli filling must be drained overnight, Cannoli Pancakes are a breakfast you’ll want to plan in advance.

You may like these other fun pancake recipes:

• Pancake Muffins
• Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• White Chocolate Raspberry Pancakes 
• Funfetti Pancakes
• Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

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Cannoli Pancakes

4.71 from 27 votes

These Cannoli Pancakes are the ultimate decadent but fun pancake recipe. Loaded with sweet, creamy cannoli filling this breakfast cannoli is like starting your day with dessert!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Electric Griddle
• Whisk
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Cannoli Filling:

• 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese , drained and dried*
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese , softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or Grand Marnier
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Buttermilk Pancakes:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Cooking spray or butter , for the griddle

Garnish (optional):

• powdered sugar
• mint leaves
• chocolate chips
• fresh raspberries

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, beat mascarpone until light and fluffy.
• Add dry ricotta cheese, whisking until fully combined, approximately 2-3 minutes.
• Add vanilla, combining well, and then powdered sugar.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Refrigerate until after you make the pancakes.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until light and fluffy. Add buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla, whisking until combined.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and fine sea salt.
• Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be lumpy.
• Heat griddle to 350 degrees or heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Grease well and pour in pancake batter. Size is really up to you, however if you want to fold your cannoli pancakes like I did in the picture, aim for a diameter of about 8 inches. You can also make smaller pancakes and stack them with filling between each layer.
• Wait until you start to see the batter bubble, then flip.
• Continue with all pancake batter.
• Remove cannoli filling from the fridge. Top pancakes, fold pancakes or layer pancakes with cannoli filling.
• Garnish with your choice of powdered sugar, chocolate chips, fresh raspberries or mint leaves. You can also use Dutch Honey syrup, but the filling is sweet and takes the place of syrup.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it went!

Notes

*Dry out your ricotta well. Drain it in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth in the refrigerator, uncovered overnight. In the morning, wring it in the cheesecloth to push any more moisture out. Roll the dry ricotta on a few paper towels.

Nutrition

Calories: 1194 kcal, Carbohydrates: 129 g, Protein: 25 g, Fat: 63 g, Saturated Fat: 38 g, Cholesterol: 212 mg, Sodium: 1343 mg, Potassium: 712 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 71 g, Vitamin A: 1730 IU, Calcium: 467 mg, Iron: 5.8 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 1194

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: cannoli cream, cannoli filling, cannoli pancakes, homemade pancakes

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