A long, long time ago I made my own cannolis and the filling had orange zest and chocolate chips. I stood over the sink and ate every last bite of the leftover filling. I seriously couldn’t stop myself. After that, I new I had to make a Cannoli Cheesecake. And somehow, I ended up making two cannoli cheesecakes!
Last weekend, a friend of mine reminded me of my love for everything chocolate & orange in cannolis and it got me to thinking about what I could do to recreate that flavor without having to go through the work of making and stuffing cannoli shells. I almost decided to make another batch of Cannoli Dip, but then I had the idea of making it into a glorious cheesecake!
I am not going to lie, I usually hate making cheesecakes. I find them to be tedious and they almost always crack on me! But as much as I hate making them, I LOVE eating them.
I decided I would use a store bought crust and throw all the ingredients into my food processor. What’s the worst that could happen?? If it didn’t work out, oh well.
Thankfully it more than worked out! I had two gorgeous cheesecakes on my hands! Jorge and my family ate one and I took the other one over to a neighborhood get together. Both were gobbled up and everyone was begging for the recipe.
Cannoli Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz blocks Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 1 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 heaping cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 already prepared oreo pie crusts
- whipped cream, for topping (optional)
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, blend cream cheese and ricotta cheese until smooth. Add eggs, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract and orange zest. Blend until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly among pie crusts. Bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes. Let cool for at least an hour in the fridge.
- Top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Looks great! I’m going to try it for my boyfriend’s birthday. Do you think it would work to transfer the Oreo crust to a springboard pan in order to make a more traditional looking cheesecake?
IF you are going to go to all the trouble to deconstruct and then reconstruct the Oreo crust(s) from the pie shell to a springform pan, I think it would just be easier to crush/food process actual Oreos and put them in a springform. I don’t think the crust from the shell will be moist enough to go up the sides, though if all you want to do is cover the bottom, then maybe it would work.
Wow that sounds awesome! I love cannolis, but of course cheesecake is good too! 🙂
Thanks for sharing!These pics are amazing!
That’s a beautiful cheesecake. Happy 2015!
Oreo crusts are actually super easy to make… Simply toss the cookies into the food processor and then add enough melted butter to moisten. Press the mixture into the pie tin with your fingers and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Done!
I agree they are Renzii — if you have the time to do it! These days with the twins I need fast and easy. 😉
I think this is even BETTER than regular cannolis! Definitely higher on the FUN scale.
Pat Baxter – I found mine at Harris Teeter. You can usually find them at Walmart or Food Lion as well. If not, you probably can get away with using a chocolate graham cracker pie crust.
And yes – graham cracker is always a great substitute if you can’t find the Oreo crust. Thanks Victoria!
Jessica – looks great and it would make an yummy “farewell’ to 2014. But where oh where do I find pre-made Oreo pie crust ( and why haven’t I known about it before!?!)
Have a great new year and keep those recipes coming! I’m a big fan!
I have found oreo pie crusts at Publix, Walmart and even Target! 🙂
Hi – Do you think the second could be frozen if cooled and tightly wrapped after baking?
Yes! I think it would freeze just as well as any other cheesecake!
It looks like there are chocolate chips baked into the cheesecake. Should I add some to my batter or just follow the recipe? I’m so excited to make this for my family’s New Year’s Eve dinner!
Eep! Yes! Stir in the chocolate chips by hand at the end and then pour mixture into the pie shell. I’m sorry I missed that step! I have updated the recipe in the post to include this step! 🙂
Looks amazing!
I found that putting a small pan with water in the oven underneath cheesecake helps prevent cracking. Doesn’t always work, but works often enough to be a nice trick!
I sometimes do this too, but didn’t find I needed to with this recipe. 🙂
I adore cannoli and cheesecake!! I could totally go for a huge slice of this right now!!
My husband is a HUGE cannoli fan and would probably flip out if I made this for him. Definitely pinning for later 🙂