Cannoli Cups

O-M-Gee! Let's take a step back and realize that I just posted twice in a week without disappearing. ::shock face:: ::brushing shoulder off:: Okay, I am a dork and I'll stop. But I am pretty excited. I am trying to stay optimistic about continuing to blog. So I left off sharing about my trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico and now let's begin the recap of Spain! Starting with.....BARCELONA!

We arrived in Barcelona after a 2 hour flight to Newark, a 4 hour layover, and a 7 hour flight to Madrid. We then caught a bus to the Ave (fast train not avenue) which took us to Barcelona where we took the subway to our hotel....basically I was exhausted. After catching up on some zzzzz's the hubby and I just wandered around the neighborhood. I had paella (because if you go to Spain you have to try paella) and then we ended the evening, in the only way I could -- with GELATO!

The next day we went off on our adventures. We started with a stroll through the Ramblas. Though after all the reading I did, I have to admit I was paranoid about becoming a victim of pickpocketing. Thankfully, nothing went wrong. We then went to the Cathedral of Barcelona....gorgeous (though almost every single cathedral we went to in Spain was stunning).

We also spent some of our time in Barcelona, viewing the beautiful architectural works of Gaudi -- Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, and the Gingerbread Houses in Parc Guell.

One of our favorite places in Barcelona was definitely La Boqueria. It is a giant open market of AMAZINGNESS. Delicious food around every corner. Restaurants, delies, goodies...everything. I enjoyed more gelato while the hubby drank delicious juices (dragon fruit). It is definitely something you have to see and experience.

The hubby surprised me by taking me to the coolest museum ever. The Museu de la Xocolata! A chocolate museum! The entry tickets were chocolate bars! And all the exhibits were made in chocolate.....BEST.MUSEUM.EVERRRR! This was a gorilla made entirely of white chocolate.

And there you have it folks: an abbreviated version of our trip to Barcelona! And now for some dessert. I have had a streak of non-dessert recipes and wanted to post something sweet! If it was not obvious "For the Love of Dessert" started as a dessert only blog, until I got married and then had to learn to make "real food" ::sad face:: hahaha. A little while ago I went to a pot luck dinner at Justin's. I, of course, said I would make dessert.

Whenever I make desserts for parties, I have specific selection criteria when searching for dessert recipes: (1) looks pretty -- pretty foods attract people to eat it, (2) bite size -- people won't eat large chunks of food at a get together, especially if it is not a sit down dinner, (3)  easy peasy, and (4) of course -- delicious! These cannoli cups were all of that. When I fist saw them, I was convinced they would be hard to make, but thankfully I was wrong. They were a huge hit at the party and finished in no time!

CANNOLI CUPS

Adapted slightly from Gimme Some Oven

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1/4 c. cornstarch (sifted)
1 1/3 c. heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar + extra for dusting
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 package of wonton wrappers (need about ~40 wrappers)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. of mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl whisk together 1 cup of the heavy cream (or milk) and cornstarch until smooth. Allow the mixture to sit for about 20 minutes. Then transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cover the cannoli filling with  plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the filling. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. I placed it in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, lightly coat a mini-muffin tray with cooking spray. Then press wonton wrappers into the into the mini-baking wells to form cups. Make sure the wonton wrapper is centered when pressing down and that the corners are folded outward. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cups are golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Once the ricotta filling has cooled, fold in the cinnamon and continuing mixing until smooth.

Using a pastry bag (or a spoon if you do not have a pastry bag, although it won't look as "pretty") pipe the filling into each wonton cup. Garnish with mini chocolate chips and powdered sugar. Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy,