Cannoli Pizza

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Recipe Intro From lisathompson

Holy cannoli, this dessert pizza is delicous! Brush a semolina-based dough with cinnamon sugar butter and pop it in the Ooni until crisp to mimic the crisp cannoli pastry shell. A rich, lightly sweetened ricotta filling is then spread generously over the crust and topped with all of the classic Sicilian cannoli garnishes: chopped pistachios, mini chocolate chips, orange zest, and candied cherries. A light dusting of powdered sugar takes this dish over the edge into full-blown pasticceria territory, after all, Sicilians are known for having a sweet tooth! Look for semolina flour labeled "extra fancy durum semolina" or "rimacinata" for this recipe, as typical semolina flour is a bit coarser in texture.

Some tips to set yourself up for tasty pizza success: 

  1. Gather all of your pizza tools before you fire up your Ooni. You'll need a pizza peel, a pizza turner or some long-handled tongs + heavy duty oven mitts, and a "landing spot" for your finished pizzas. A laser thermometer is technically optional, but helpful to have.
  2. While one of the best features of the Ooni pizza oven is the capability to cook pizzas very quickly at a super high temperature, it is completely fine to start your pizza journey at a slightly lower temperature for a slightly longer amount of time. This allows you to become familiar with the hot spots in the oven and practice turning the pizza to ensure even cooking. Beginners often find that their pizzas char too quickly in certain areas around the edges, but remain too doughy and undercooked in the middle. The most important thing is that your pizzas come out delicious, not that you can achieve a picture-perfect Neapolitan pizza with "leoparding" on your first few attempts.
  3. If possible, roll out your dough and assemble with the ingredients called for in the initial launch as quickly as possible, preferably in a spot close to your preheated oven so you can launch it right away. The longer the dough sits on the pizza peel, the higher the chance your dough will stick to the peel and be difficult to launch. Give the dough a little shimmy on the peel to make sure it moves well, and gently loosen up any spots that are sticking with your hands. 
  4. When you are topping your pizza with pre-cooked ingredients, try to blot off any excess liquid that might accumulate on them, and always wait for them to cool down before topping so prevent your dough from sticking to the peel. 
  5. My personal MO for pizza nights is to eat the pizza soon after it's done, then fire the next one and keeping things casual. If you prefer to cook all of your pizzas and sit down to eat them all at the same time, keep your indoor oven around 250F degrees and transfer cooked pizzas there once they are done to keep them warm. 
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  • Recipe Card
Prep time 15mins
Cook time 20mins
Serves or Makes: 2 14" pizzas

Recipe Card

For the Dough

ingredients

For the Ricotta Topping

ingredients

  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Butter

ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (72g) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To Assemble

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (50g) mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup (70g) shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • Amarena or maraschino cherries, roughly chopped (optional)

Method

  • Step 1

    Dust a clean work surface with flour and set dough balls at least 6 inches apart. Cover lightly with mixing bowls or plastic wrap and let dough come up to room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

  • Step 2

    Meanwhile, stir drained ricotta, vanilla, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

  • Step 3

    Melt butter with sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat or a heatproof bowl in the microwave.

  • Step 4

    Preheat your Ooni pizza oven to medium heat for 30 minutes.

  • Step 5

    Roll or stretch dough to ⅛-inch thickness and coat with enough flour to prevent sticking. Poke dough all over with a fork to try to prevent it from puffing up in the oven. Lay dough atop a floured pizza peel and brush with cinnamon sugar butter.

  • Step 6

    Launch pizza into the preheated Ooni oven towards the hottest part of the baking stone in the back. Cook, turning about every 30 seconds until golden brown and nearly crisp. If dough starts to puff up during baking, either press down on the dough with your pizza turner or remove dough and pierce large bubbles with a knife. Remove dough from the oven and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

  • Step 7

    Spread each cooled pizza with half the ricotta mixture. Top with half the mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, chopped cherries, if using, and orange zest.

  • Step 8

    Slice pizza and enjoy.