Instructions: Basic Chocolate Chip/Ricotta Filling Instructions: Beat cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and beat in sugar. Mix in chocolate chips. Cover - chill several hours or as long as 3 days.

Shells: Blend flour with salt and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in center, place whole egg and butter in well. Stir with fork; add wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough begins to cling together. Use hands to form into a ball; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Roll dough out onto floured board until about 1/16-inch thick. Cut into 3 (1/2-inch) circles. With rolling pin, roll circles into ovals. Wrap each oval around aluminum cannoli tube.

Seal the edge with egg white. Turn back the ends to flare slightly. Heat 2-inches of oil in a deep sauce- pan to 350 degrees. Fry 2 to 3 shells at a time for 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Remove cannoli with tongs to drain and let cool about 10 to 15 seconds. Then slip out the tube, handling shells carefully.

Note: This filling is lighter, but richer. Follow directions for basic chocolate chip filling, then beat cream until stiff and fold into the chocolate and cheese mixture. To serve, use a plain large pastry tube to force Ricotta filling into cannoli shells. Remember fill only the number of cannoli you plan to serve at once.

Note: To make this recipe, you will need 2 to 3 aluminum cannoli tubes. The unfilled shells and the basic filling can each be stored separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. But once the shells are filled, they need to be served immediately to retain crispness.

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