1.  Line a colander or large strainer with cheese cloth. Empty all of the ricotta onto the cheese cloth.

2.  Take the four corners of the cheese cloth, bring them together and spin to enclose the ricotta in a tight ball within the cloth. As you do this, liquid from the ricotta will drain out so be sure to place the colander in the sink or over a large bowl.

3.  Once the ricotta is enclosed, take a chip clip or clothes pin and pin it to keep the pressure on the cheese cloth. Place the enclosed ball of ricotta into the colander with a heavy bowl on top of the ball to help it drain further. Let the ricotta drain for at least one hour or as long as overnight in the refrigerator.

 

 

 

4.  When the ricotta is drained, remove it from the cheese cloth and place it into a mixing bowl along with the sugar and the chocolate chips. Fold all of the ingredients together and combine thoroughly until you have a smooth cream.

5.  To fill the cannoli shells, place the sweetened ricotta filling in a pastry bag. Alternatively, you can place the filling into a large zipper bag. Remove the air and press it closed. Then cut off one of the tips at the bottom of the bag. Gather the zipper end of the bag between your thumb and index finger and spin the bag a couple of times so that the filling begins to flow toward the cut tip.

6.  Proceed to generously fill your cannoli shells. Continue until you have filled all of the shells or used all of the filling.

7.  Decorate the ends of the filled cannoli with any of the options listed in the ingredients list.

8.  Serve the cannoli immediately or refrigerate them and serve chilled.

Notes

You can also add more flavor to the filling by adding 1 teaspoon of Cointreau or 1 - 2 teaspoons of orange zest to the ricotta along with the sugar and chocolate. One teaspoon of vanilla would also add a nice flavor to the sweetened filling.