Mini Cannoli Bites

Ingredients

For the Tart Shells:
• 3 ounces of cream cheese - softened
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter - softened
• 5 ounces (1cup) all purpose flour
• sugar/cinnamon (if you don't have any mixed up just combine 2 tablespoons sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon)
For the Filling
• 7.5 ounces Mascarpone cheese (if your carton has close to that it will be fine, or use half of a big carton)
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (depending on how many you sprinkle on top of your finished pastry)
• optional: 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions

For the Tart Shells:
1. In a small mixer bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until combined and fluffy.
2. Mix in flour until just combined.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or until the next day.
4. When it is chilled. Divide the dough into 24 balls. I used my scale and each ball weighs about .4 ounces, but if you don't have a scale I would suggest, cutting the dough in half estimating as carefully as you can to make it even, then again break each piece into halves until you have 8 pieces and then break each of those into 3 equal parts.
5. I refrigerate all but 6 while I work on those.
6. Sprinkle your work area with sugar and cinnamon and smash your dough ball into a circle that is the right size to fit into you tart pan or mini muffin pan. Sprinkle a little sugar cinnamon on top of the dough as well.
7. Spray your pan with cooking spray and set the dough in the muffin tin. Don't worry if your tart shells look a little messy, just push the dough around with your finger to cover any holes and try to make sure it goes up the side of the muffin cup.
8. Repeat with the next 6.
9. When your pan is full place it in the freezer and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
10. When your oven is preheated, pull your shells out of the freezer and poke a few holes in the bottom of your tart shells with a fork and bake them for about 15 minutes to 17 minutes.
11. Let them cool in the pans and then carefully remove them to a cooling rack once they have cooled and set.
For the Filling:
12. This can be done while your tart shell dough is chilling.
13. Put your Mascarpone cheese in a small bowl, along with the confectioners sugar, sugar and vanilla.
14. Beat until well combined.
15. Put the filling into a pastry bag that has been fitted with a Wilton 4B decorating tip (or tip of your choice) or if you don't have a pastry bag, fill a quart size freezer bag with the filling and cut off a small corner so you can squeeze the filling out in a controlled manner.
16. Fill cooled shells with the filling being careful not to overfill.
17. Sprinkle immediately with mini chocolate chips.
18. Carefully sift a little confectioners sugar over them for a beautiful look.
19. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge so they don't absorb odors from anything else in the fridge.
20. Serve cold.
21. They will keep for several days as long as your ingredients are fresh.
22. Enjoy!