Baked Cannoli blintzes

What the world especially needs now is dessert.

Lots and lots of dessert.

Fun to make dessert.

Like cannoli blintzes.

Wait… what?  Not me!!! Blintzes are complicated and call for lots of ingredients. 

Nuh-uh!  With a simple hack and ingredients you probably already have in your pantry right now, you can soon be enjoying heaven on a (dessert) plate.

Instead of fancy-schmancy crepes, the filling is rolled up in (gasp!) white bread.  A quick dip in cinnamon-sugar (like you use to make cinnamon toast), then a few minutes in the oven. 

That’s it!

You can even make and freeze 'em in advance for days when you're running late and there's no time to make a decent dessert (or the little ones just asked you to read the same book to them for like the 2,000^th time in a week.  My kids are grown, but I can still recite most of The Cat in the Hat with my eyes shut ... but I digress), pull out the desired amount then nuke or toast up in the oven. Served warm or cold, great anytime.

 Speaking of kids, they will love to help with this one.  I don’t know any kid who would hate squishing the bread flat … they are probably experts in that already.  And they can help measure out the ingredients (very educational) and roll up the blintzes (improves dexterity). 

This recipe is based on one given to me by a friend years and years ago, back when recipes were hand-written on index cards.   Most of the recipes “out there” use a complicated, almost cheesecake-like filling.   This simplified version starts with soft ricotta.  Then sugar, a little cinnamon, and ends with some chocolate chips mixed in.  Pistachio nuts make it more cannoli-ish, but don’t risk a panic run to the Try-n-Save to get ‘em.  Totally delish without.  Trust me.  I once served these to my friends at a gathering in my house BC (Before Corvid) and no one noticed their absence.  Only their deliciousness.

Baked Cannoli Blintzes

Yield:  34-48 mini-blintzes (depending upon the size of bread loaf)

Filling
1/2 of a (15-16 oz.) container of whole milk ricotta cheese

1/4  cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3  cup mini chocolate chips

2 Tbl. chopped pistachios (optional)

“Shell”
1 cup white sugar

2 Tbl. ground cinnamon

1 loaf soft sliced white bread, flat-top sandwich style (easier to trim than rounded top-style)

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400^oF.  Cover two large cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl, spoon in the ricotta cheese.  Stir in sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and pistachios (if using).   Set aside.

 "Shell": In a smaller bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Taking 4 slices of bread at a time, pile up slices on top of each other evenly, then gently press down on them with hand or bottom of saucepot to make bread slices as thin as best you can (the bread will fight you and attempt to spring back up).  Using a sharp knife, trim off crusts. 

Assembly: Carefully peel off one slice, then spread about 2 tsp. of cheese mixture on two-thirds of the slice.  Roll up, starting with the end covered in mixture, then gently slice in half to create two rolls.  Dip each into melted butter, then roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Place on prepared cookie sheet, about an inch apart.  Repeat with the remaining flattened bread slices.

Bake for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from oven immediately if filling starts to ooze out.  Serve at once.

Can be frozen before baking:  Freeze on cookie sheet.  When frozen, quickly transfer to freezer bag, seal and keep in frozen until ready to use.  To serve, preheat oven to 400^oF.  Place frozen blintzes on parchment-lines cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven immediately if filling  starts to ooze out.  

Serve at once.