Chocolate Cups With Ricotta Cream and Raspberries
Brimming with cannoli-style ricotta cream and fresh raspberries, garnished with mint and showered with confectioners’ sugar, these elegant chocolate cups are a sumptuous and healthful treat. They can be ready effortlessly if you buy chocolate cups, or you can embrace the easy arts-and-crafts-like project of making the cups yourself. To do so, you’ll need a set of mini-muffin-size silicone baking cups and a small, clean paintbrush. The chocolate cups may be made, then filled with ricotta and topped with raspberries, up to 1 day in advance; store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Makes 16 cups (8 servings)
6 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent), chopped [may substitute 16 (1⁄2-ounce) pre-made chocolate dessert cups]
cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries 16 small fresh mint leaves
If making the chocolate cups, melt three-quarters of the chocolate (about 41⁄2 ounces/130 grams) in a bowl set over a pot with about 2 inches of barely simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Transfer to a towel-lined counter (this helps the bowl to stay put), add the remaining chocolate, and stir until completely melted.
Fill a silicone baking cup about a third of the way with the chocolate, then, using the paintbrush, spread the chocolate to the top of each cup, layering the sides as thickly as possible. Repeat with the remaining chocolate and silicone cups. Place the filled cups onto a large, rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Carefully pop the chocolate cups out of the liners.
In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the ricotta cheese until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar and the lemon zest.
Using a small spoon, fill each chocolate cup with about 2 teaspoons of the ricotta mixture. (Alternately, you can transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a narrow tip and pipe the mixture into the cups.) Top each cup with 2 to 3 raspberries. Garnish with a mint leaf and sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar right before serving.
Per serving: 158 calories, 12 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 16 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar, 5 g protein