Cannoli
This Homemade Cannoli recipe makes deliciously crisp, lightly spiced pastry shells filled with a warming and sweet homemade ricotta filling made with vanilla, cinnamon, and mini chocolate chips!
Servings: 24 large cannoli
Ingredients
Cannoli Shells
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (438g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons cold salted butter cubed
- 2 large eggs separated (1 whole egg + yolk for the dough with 1 egg white reserved for brushing)
- 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine chilled (see note for substitutions)
- Vegetable or peanut oil for frying (2 quarts or 8 cups)
Cannoli Filling
- 1 (32-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese strained
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-2 teaspoons orange zest or lemon zest (optional)
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Chopped pistachios (optional)
Instructions
Cannoli Shells
- Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and wine, pulsing just until the dough comes together. Transfer to a clean surface and knead until smooth (maybe be a few times, may take up to 10 minutes - add more water if needed).3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 Tablespoons cold salted butter, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin until as thin as possible (about 1/8-inch thick) or use a pasta maker to roll thin sheets of dough.
- ALTERNATIVE: Divide cannoli dough into 3 balls. Flatten enough to run through a pasta press. Continue running through progressively thinner settings until the dough is as thin as possible. Lightly dust with flour, if necessary. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent the dough from drying out.
- Cut out 4-inch circles with a round biscuit or cookie cutter. Stretch the circles into 5-inch ovals. Reroll and cut out scraps. Lightly dust the circles with flour to help prevent sticking to the cannoli forms later.
- Wrap each oval of dough around a cannoli form, overlapping the edges. Brush one edge with egg white, then press the other edge into it to seal so it doesn't come apart while frying. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Heat 4 inches of oil in a large dutch oven or deep fryer until it is between 350°F and 375°F.Vegetable or peanut oil
- Carefully transfer 3-4 cannoli forms with dough into the hot oil with tongs. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain and cool. Repeat with remaining cannoli dough until all shells have been fried. Remove molds from the shells while still warm to prevent the cannoli shells from sticking and cool completely before filling.
Cannoli Filling
- Combine ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest in a large bowl. Stir well, then fold in chocolate chips. Taste and add up to 1/2 cup additional powdered sugar if you prefer a sweeter filling.1 (32-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1-2 teaspoons orange zest or lemon zest, 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours before filling cannoli shells.
- Transfer the cannoli cream to a piping bag with a large open tip and fill shells and sprinkle more mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios over the ends of each cannoli. Dust with powdered sugar. I don't recommend filling the cannoli shells with the filling until an hour before serving to prevent the shells from softening.Chopped pistachios
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes about 5 cups of filling. Enough for 40 small or 24 large cannoli.
- Variations: Try adding orange or lemon zest, chopped pistachios.
- Storage: The filling will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing the filling as the ricotta cheese becomes watery and separates when thawed. The shells can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They freeze okay for a few weeks, but are really best made fresh.
- How to strain ricotta cheese: If the ricotta is quite thick, you can usually get away with just spreading out a couple layers of paper towel, spreading the ricotta cheese on top, covering with more paper towels, then pressing out excess moisture. For runnier ricotta cheese, place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Line with cheesecloth. Add ricotta cheese and spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and let it strain for at least 30 minutes but more like 6 to 8 hours or overnight if you have the time. Discard the liquid in the bowl and use the strained ricotta cheese. That's it!
- Optional: You can dip the ends of the cannoli shells into melted chocolate or even brush the insides of each shell with melted chocolate. When it hardens, it will help prevent the cannoli from getting soggy if you need to fill them ahead of time and take them to an event.
- Substitution: If you prefer not to use marsala wine in your shells, you can replace it with grape juice mixed with 1 Tablespoon vinegar.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 2mg
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