Ashley | Baker By Nature

Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl, making sure there’s at least two-inches of space between the bottom of the strainer and the bottom of the bowl. 
Scrape the ricotta cheese into the cheesecloth and fold the cheesecloth around the ricotta. Twist the top of the cheesecloth into makeshift handles and gently nestle them on top of the cheese ball. Place something heavy, such as a hefty can, ziplock bag full of pie weights, or ziplock bag filled with rice, on top of the ricotta and press down gently. 
Place the bowl in the fridge and refrigerate cheese for at least 3 hours, or overnight, if time permits. 

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and remove the heavy object pressing down on the cheese. 
Use the makeshift cheesecloth handles to lift the cheese out of the strainer. Then gently twist the cheesecloth and softly squeeze to see if any more liquid will drain out of the cheese. Do this several times to ensure you’ve removed as much liquid as possible. Then use as directed below. 
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth, stopping the processor and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times. 
Add in the peppermint extract and pulse for another minute, or until well combined. Set aside. 
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the ricotta/cream cheese mixture, just until combined. Do not over mix here. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
In the meantime, melt the chocolate according to the package directions. Dip both ends of each cannoli shell into the melted chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. 

Dip the end of each cannoli shell into the chopped candy canes. Place the dipped shells on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the chocolate set for at least 20 minutes before filling.
When ready to serve, remove the filling from the fridge. Fold in ½ cup of the chopped candy canes. Then scrape the filling into a large piping bag fitted with a round open piping tip. 
Pipe the filling into one end of a cannoli shell until it reaches the halfway point of the shell. Then fill the other end. Be sure to generously fill the shells so that the filling comes all the way to the end of each cannoli shell. Repeat with as many cannoli shells as possible. 
Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy canes and serve at once!