Lavazza Coffee + Ricotta Cannoli Recipe

Remember those pizelle cookies I talked about yesterday? Well… they’re back! And they’ve got a great partner:

Lavazza – Italy’s Favorite Coffee asked me to take their “coffee compliments” recipe challenge to celebrate their new line of drip coffees. Well, if you’ve been hanging around this blog long, you know I have a weakness for coffee and for baking so… this was right up my alley.

Now, I do love my coffee, and being Italian myself, I’m well-familiar with the Lavazza name (in fact, we have a Lavazza espresso maker!). So of course, I happily accepted the challenge.

And it came to me – the perfect pairing for my cup of coffee on a chilly winter day: ricotta cannoli.

Cannoli are a traditional Italian dessert, BUT I did something a little non-traditional in that I used my pizelles to fashion cannoli shells! (For a lighter, sweeter taste!). Then I filled them with a light and sweet ricotta cream filling Mmmm.

I brewed up my Lavazza coffee in a French press – and if you haven’t tried French press coffee, well, it’s the best way to create the perfect cup every time – moderate the strength and the water temperature easily. Plus, brewing my Lavazza coffee in the French press gave my coffee a crisper and cleaner flavor, I think!

Lavazza coffee and Ricotta Cannoli = Perfect Pairings

Rich and robust Italian coffee paired with the creamy sweetness of ricotta cannoli… it’s the perfect pairing for after dinner dessert (or maybe even a treat for breakfast!).

My favorite was the Dark Roast – I think I like dark roast coffees because they have almost a chocolaty tone in their flavor. The medium roasts were also very good, but with crisper flavor, reminiscent of citrus.

I also tried these coffees in ALL our coffee makers (Capresso 10 cup, Melitta single cup, and Keurig single cup). Every brew was bold and flavorful… although I must admit I’m growing partial to the intense flavor you can get from the French press!

Ricotta Cannoli Recipe (fill rolled pizelle or regular cannoli shells)

1 cup whole milk ricotta, strained overnight
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup cream cheese (regular, don’t use the fat free)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (other extracts can be used, just to taste).

6-8 Cannoli shells (or rolled pizelle cookies)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Fill a pastry bag. Fill each end of the cannoli shell with cream filling.

So how do you think I did on the “coffee compliments” challenge!? What’s your favorite food to pair with coffee?

Thanks to Lavazza for providing gift cards and products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.