Rosie's Country Baking: OMC! Oh My Cannoli! ~ Ice Cream

Most of you know that I just love cannolis, the Sicilian pastry treat - consisting of a shell made of fried pastry dough that is filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta. I have made a Cannoli Cheesecake for the holidays and now that we are in the heat of the summer I had to make Cannoli Ice Cream. I did and it was really good, it has all the good flavors of a cannoli in a refreshing summer ice cream. You have to try it! Here's the recipe:

2 cups whole milk ricotta
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
2 cups whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed cannoli shells

Put ricotta and zest in a food processor and process until blended. Add condensed milk and egg and blend. Add whipping cream, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar and process until blended. Pour this mixture into a 2 quart container, cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 -2 hours until well chilled. Then pour mixture into prepared ice cream maker and churn for about 15 minutes until soft serve consistency. Then add chocolate chips and crushed cannoli shells and churn for 5 more minutes until well blended. Pour this mixture into a 2 quart container and freeze for a few hours until firm and desired consistency.
* If making without an Ice Cream maker - I would suggest the following: Follow all instructions up till the ice cream maker instructions, instead transfer mixture to freezer for about 4 hours, stirring with a fork 1/2 way through, or until you reach a soft serve consistency. Then add chocolate chips and crushed cannoli shells, blend well, then cover and freeze an additional 4 hours or overnight until firm or desired consistency.
**Note - this makes almost 2 quarts of ice cream so is best for a 2 quart ice cream maker, I did make it in my 1 1/2 quart maker and it reached well up to the very top - after churning I had to stir again to make sure everything was blended, and it was a little messy, but I didn't mind. If you want to avoid this decrease ingredients a little bit proportionately.