White Chocolate Ricotta-Filled Hazelnut-Chocolate Cookies

This is a clever fusion dessert that uses Chinese sue gow (wonton) wrappers as a crisp, paper-thin shell for an Italian-inspired filling of fresh ricotta blended with grated white chocolate and orange zest. Toasted hazelnuts and chopped chocolate scatter across each wrapper before baking, then the sandwich gets assembled with a tablespoon of the creamy filling pressed between two crisp wrappers.

The result is somewhere between a cannoli, a cookie, and a candy bar. The wrappers shatter on the first bite, the hazelnuts crunch, and the cool ricotta filling spreads richly across your tongue with hits of orange and white chocolate.

Serve right after assembly. The wrappers soften within an hour as they absorb moisture from the ricotta, so this is a make-ahead-the-components, assemble-just-before-serving dessert.

Pro Tips

• Toast the hazelnuts in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 minutes, then rub them in a kitchen towel to remove the bitter skins.
• Bake the sue gow wrappers just until golden at the edges. Overbaking turns them brittle and they shatter when you assemble the cookies.
• Drain the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve for 30 minutes before mixing. Excess whey makes the filling runny and soaks the wrappers.
• Use the smallest holes on a microplane to grate the white chocolate. Larger pieces refuse to incorporate smoothly.
• Assemble immediately before serving for maximum crisp contrast. The wrappers soften over time.

Variations

• Swap orange zest for lemon zest, or add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste for a different flavor profile.
• Use crushed pistachios or almonds in place of hazelnuts.
• Drizzle the assembled cookies with melted dark chocolate or a sprinkle of crushed freeze-dried raspberries for an elegant garnish.