Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2      cups          ricotta cheese
   1      cup           heavy cream -- whipped
   3      tablespoons   sugar -- (or more)
   2      tablespoons   candied fruits -- --or--
   3      tablespoons   cocoa -- --and--
   2      tablespoons   chocolate bits
                        (small chocolate chips -- or grated
                        chocolate)
   1 1/2  teaspoons     vanilla

Preparation:

Put the ricotta in a bowl and fold in the whipped cream, adding the sugar as you fold. Chop the candied fruits to tiny slivers no bigger than grains of rice and fold in all but about a teaspoonful. Add the vanilla. Using a spatula or a broad knife, fill the cannoli first from one end and then from the other. Press the filling in gently to make sure the center is full. Scrape each end to smooth out the cream and decorate the ends by dipping them in the remaining candied fruit slivers. If you want to make the filling chocolate, substitute cocoa for the candied fruits in the cream-ricotta mixture, and decorate with grated chocolate or the chocolate sprinkles. The cannoli should not be filled too long before serving, as that softens the pastry. The filling, however, can be chilled and this dessert can then be assembled shortly before the meal. Recipe fills about 18 cannoli.