These Soft Cannoli Cookie Sandwiches with Almond, Orange, and Dark Chocolate combine the flavors of cannoli in soft chocolate chip cookie sandwiches filled with cream cheese frosting.
I feel the need to make a confession.
I’ve never been a huge fan of cannoli.
It’s not that I don’t like Italian food. I like (ok, love) things like pasta, Eggplant Parm, and Provolone cheese as much as the next girl. I even love Ricotta. But there’s something about cannoli that bothers me. I think it’s because nearly every cannoli I’ve ever had has been soggy instead of having a crisp shell. And honestly, no one’s a fan of soggy, right?
I’ve probably been looking for cannoli in all the wrong places…or perhaps, in all the wrong forms.
How about cannoli cookie sandwiches? These soft cookies are aromatic with nutty almonds and orange, and bursting with mini chocolate chips. GO VEGGIE Vegan Classic Plain Cream Cheese serves double duty – it’s in both the cookie dough and the filling. This cream cheese is a great choice because not only is it rich, creamy, and the most award-winning dairy-free spread around, but it also has more calcium than regular cream cheese, plus less calories, fat and saturated fat, and bonus, no cholesterol.
Around here fall means baking season and these cookies are a delicious switch-up if you’re looking to try something new! And be sure to keep them in mind when it’s time for holiday baking.
- Cookies:
- ⅔ cup GO VEGGIE Vegan Classic Plain Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon fresh-grated orange zest (or 1½ teaspoons orange blossom water or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon orange essential oil)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2½ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup semisweet or dark mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup raw almonds, chopped
- Filling:
- 1 cup (115 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon orange zest (or ¼ teaspoons orange blossom water or a couple drops orange essential oil)
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 to 5 teaspoons GO VEGGIE Vegan Classic Plain Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- For the cookies, preheat the oven to 325F; line 2 large baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl, and then beat in the egg, vanilla, orange zest, and almond extract. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds. Cover the bowl and transfer the dough to the fridge until chilled, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Scoop the dough into 1½-tablespoon-sized balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, rotating the trays once (when they’re done, the cookies will be golden on the bottom, but still look a touch doughy in the center). Let the cookies cool completely on the trays before using a thin metal spatula to remove.
- Once the cookies are cooled, make the filling. To do so, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and almond extract to a large bowl. Add 3 teaspoons cream cheese and beat the mixture, adding a touch more cream cheese if necessary to achieve your desired consistency.
- To make the sandwiches, spread filling on the bottom of one cookie and then top with another. Repeat until with the remaining cookies and filling.
Disclosure: I received the GO Veggie! products that I used in this recipe for free, and I also received compensation for this post. I am happy for the opportunity to share brands that I believe in with my readers, and I hope you enjoy my recipe. As always, opinions stated are my own.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Hubby loves anything cannoli so am sure he’d be delighted with these yummy cookies! Love the citrus and chocolate combo here!
Soggy cannoli are the worst! But the problem may be that you’ve had them pre-filled. One should never, ever fill a cannoli shell more than 1 hour before it’s eaten. Love these cookies as a shell substitute – what a creative way to give the filling another “delivery vehicle.”
These look great! Pinned :)
How long will these cookies be okay to eat if they’re not refrigerated? I want to mail them to someone in another state which will take about 3 days.
Joyce, Because of the cream cheese in the filling, I recommend refrigerating these cookies on the same day they’re made. If it’s winter where you live, they might be ok being shipped for 3 days. I hope this helps!