Place the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Set it over a bowl and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours until about ¼ cup of liquid collects in the bowl.
16 oz ricotta cheese
In a medium bowl, whisk together the drained ricotta, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and optional cinnamon and lemon zest until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes by hand.
16 oz ricotta cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp lemon zest, pinch salt
Add mini chocolate chips to the filling and gently fold with a spatula until evenly distributed without crushing the chips.
0.5 cup mini chocolate chips
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the filling to firm up.
Transfer filling to a piping bag or a plastic bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe filling into both ends of each cannoli shell from the center outward until filled but not overflowing. Fill just before serving for maximum crunch.
12-16 count cannoli shells
