Food 2025-04-24 10:15:30

No-Bake Cannoli Delight

Whenever I want to be transported across the world, I turn to the kitchen. Chocolate éclair cake is on the menu when I’m dreaming of Paris, and I’ll bake a black forest cake when I want to be transported to Germany. Cannolis are what I want when a trip to Italy is on my mind but not in my budget. This classic Italian dessert has a golden, fried pastry shell filled with sweetened ricotta, and I always choose one that is finished with chocolate chips. While I could make cannoli at home, usually I rely on bakeries to do the work. Until now. I’ve turned my favorite Italian treat into this easy no-bake cannoli delight.

The base is a buttery graham-cracker crumb crust that takes the place of the fried pastry shell. Sweetened ricotta and cream cheese, rich chocolate pudding, and fluffy whipped cream are layered on top of the crust, and the bars are finished with a shower of miniature chocolate chips. This dessert is everything there is to love about Italian cannoli, but so much easier to make (no frying!) and serve.

Why You’ll Love It

There’s cannoli flavor in every bite. All of the flavors you love in a classic Italian cannoli come together in a layered, no-bake dessert.
It’s perfect for sharing. Cannolis are usually a single-serving treat, but turn those flavors into a crowd-pleasing treat by making it into a bar dessert. The bars can even be made in advance for easier slicing and serving.

Layered dessert with a graham cracker crust, creamy filling, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate chips on top.

Key Ingredients in Cannoli Delight

Graham crackers: Use a food processor to crush graham crackers into fine crumbs for a buttery no-bake crust.
Instant chocolate pudding: Make sure to buy instant pudding mix, not the cook-and-serve variety. Instant chocolate pudding thickens in minutes when mixed with cold milk.
Ricotta cheese: Whole-milk ricotta cheese gives this no-bake dessert that classic cannoli flavor.
Heavy cream: Sweetened whipped cream lightens the ricotta cream cheese and acts as a fluffy final layer.
Mini chocolate chips: Mix mini chocolate chips in for a chocolate-y surprise in every bite.

How to Make Cannoli Delight

Prep the chocolate pudding layer. Use slightly less milk than called for on the package instructions, just 1 1/2 cups to make a thick chocolate pudding layer (so that the bars can be sliced).

Make the crumb crust: Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs, then combine with sugar, salt, and melted butter to make a simple no-bake graham cracker crust.

Whip the cream: Whisk sweetened heavy cream to stiff peaks.

Make the ricotta filling: Beat ricotta cheese, cream cheese, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and orange zest if desired together until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture.

Assemble the delight: Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Top with the chocolate pudding and the whipped cream, spreading each into an even layer.

Refrigerate: Refrigerate the delight for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the top with the remaining mini chocolate chips, then slice into 12 pieces. Wipe the knife between each cut for the cleanest slices.

Helpful Swaps

Replace the sweetened whipped cream with an 8-ounce container of thawed frozen whipped topping. If you prefer cannolis embellished with nutty pistachios, feel free to swap chopped roasted pistachios for a portion or all of the mini chocolate chips.

Prep time 35 minutes

Serves 12

🧁 Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (3.9-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2 cups cold whole or 2% milk
12 whole graham cracker sheets (about 6 1/2 ounces), or 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (from 1 medium orange, optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan (about 2 inches high) with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other, so that the parchment hangs about 2 inches over all 4 sides of the pan to form a sling.
Whisk 1 (3.9-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix and 1 1/2 cups cold milk together in a large bowl until dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Let sit to thicken while you prepare the crust and other layers.
Break 12 whole graham crackers sheets into rough pieces and place in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Process until the crackers are the texture of sand, about 15 seconds. Add 1 stick melted unsalted butter and pulse to combine, 6 to 8 (1-second) pulses. (If using graham cracker crumbs, just stir the crumbs and butter together in a medium bowl.)
Transfer the mixture into the pan. Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup or your fingers to press the crumbs into an even layer, making sure to reach the edges and fill the corners. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Beat 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar together in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
Beat the 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese, 1 cup ricotta cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon orange zest if using, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in the stand mixer (no need to wipe clean) with the whisk attachment on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula halfway through, until light and very fluffy, about 3 minutes total.
Gently fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream and 1/2 cup of the miniature chocolate chips with a flexible spatula until just combined.
Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread into an even layer. Dollop the chocolate pudding over the cream cheese mixture and spread into an even layer. Dollop the remaining whipped cream over the chocolate pudding and spread into an even layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips evenly over the top. Grasping the excess parchment, transfer the slab to a cutting board. Cut into 12 pieces, wiping the knife between each cut for cleaner slices.

Recipe Notes

Heavy cream substitution: Replace the homemade whipped cream (1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar) with 1 (8-ounce) container thawed frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.