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Cannoli Recipe l Life, Love, and Sugar


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Skinny, crispy shells are made and stuffed with a evenly candy filling made with ricotta cheese, mascarpone, and powdered sugar on this Do-it-yourself Cannoli Recipe. Get pleasure from them plain or dip the shells in chocolate and add some mini chocolate chips!

Close up of two homemade cannoli

Why You’ll Love This Do-it-yourself Cannoli Recipe

Cannoli are a traditional and there are absolutely many opinions as to what makes one one of the best. And as for making them do-it-yourself, it’s fairly a course of. However it may possibly actually be quite a lot of enjoyable with the best recipe and it offers you just a little management over the method to ensure your cannoli actually are one of the best. Right here’s why I like this recipe.

  • Gentle, crispy shell. A lot of trial and error went into determining precisely easy methods to make the right cannoli shell for this recipe. The dough generally is a little difficult to work with! However the last result’s a skinny, crispy shell that’s golden brown and bubbly.
  • Easy, creamy filling. The filling for this recipe is made with ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar. It’s candy however not too candy, although you’ll be able to add extra/much less powdered sugar as desired. You possibly can completely make it with simply ricotta cheese however I simply love the flavour of the mascarpone.
  • Detailed instructions. Making cannoli will be difficult. I spent quite a lot of time testing, particularly the shells. You will discover all the main points (and step-by-step photos) on easy methods to get these shells good.
  • Prep forward. Do-it-yourself cannoli is certainly not a kind of fast and simple desserts prepared in half-hour however the good half is that you simply CAN make elements of it prematurely. The dough for the shells will be refrigerated in a single day or you’ll be able to even make the shells and retailer them for a month. Simply make sure you wait to assemble the cannoli to keep away from a soggy shell!
  • Chocolate! This recipe does embody the choice to dip half of the shells in melted chocolate and add some mini chocolate chips. Each are elective however actually…chocolate does make every little thing higher!

Overhead view of ingredients needed to make cannoli

Recipe Elements

Each the shells and the filling are made with just some primary elements. You could find the precise measurements within the recipe card beneath.

Cannoli Shells

  • All-purpose flour – Make sure you measure this accurately in order that your dough isn’t too dry. I like to recommend a meals scale. You want sufficient moisture within the dough to get these iconic bubbles while you fry the shells.
  • Sugar
  • Floor cinnamon – I like the flavour the cinnamon provides, however you possibly can go away it out.
  • Unsalted butter – Chilly & cubed.
  • Egg – Use a big egg, not medium or further massive.
  • Candy Marsala wine – This can be a conventional addition to cannoli shells. It helps create the best texture and taste and contributes to the signature crispy bubbles. The alcohol additionally helps to tenderize the dough.
  • Water – You may additionally use further marsala when you love that taste and wish extra of it
  • Distilled white vinegar – Helps create the signature bubbly look
  • Vegetable oil – You could want roughly, relying on the dimensions of the pot that you simply’re frying in. You need to have 2-3 inches of oil to fry in.
  • Egg white – For sealing the shells across the mildew.

Cannoli Filling

  • Ricotta cheese – Make sure that you pressure it to take away extra moisture
  • Mascarpone cheese – You should use it chilly proper out of the fridge or let it sit out for 5-10 minutes, however you don’t need it to get to room temperature or get too heat. It may possibly get watery and doesn’t agency again up nicely. You may use simply ricotta within the filling, however I actually love the flavour of the mascarpone.
  • Powdered sugar – Be at liberty to regulate this relying on how candy you prefer it.

Extras for adorning

  • Semi-sweet chocolate – You may use your favourite sort of chocolate to coat the shells. It’s elective. The quantity listed is sufficient to dip about half of the shells.
  • Mini chocolate chips – A standard addition to cannoli. See beneath for another choices.
A serving tray of homemade cannoli with chocolate chips

Taste Variations

Mini chocolate chips are a standard cannoli ingredient however there are various different tasty taste choices too. Listed here are just a few concepts for adorning your cannoli:

  • Finely chopped pistachios
  • Chopped candied fruit
  • Cinnamon within the filling
  • Chopped hazelnuts
  • Pumpkin spice within the filling
  • Darkish chocolate instead of the semi-sweet

How To Make Cannoli

Making cannoli is a fairly hands-on course of that requires a little bit of time however it’s value each second. Simply keep in mind to make the dough prematurely! You could find the printable model of the directions within the recipe card beneath.

Make the shell dough

  • Mix the dry elements and butter. Whisk collectively the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or fork to chop the cubed butter into the flour combination till the items are concerning the dimension of peas. Use your fingers to proceed working combination till the butter is evenly distributed. Kind a nicely in the course of the combination and put aside.
  • Kind the dough. Add the egg, wine, water, and vinegar to the nicely within the flour combination. Stir the combination along with a fork then use your fingers to kind a cohesive ball.
One photo of cubes of butter in a bowl with flour, the other showing wet ingredients added to a well in the flour
Minimize the butter into the flour then kind a nicely and add the opposite elements.
Two photos showing dough in a bowl
Work the dough till it types a cohesive ball.
  • Knead the dough. Switch the dough to a evenly floured floor. Use the heel of your hand to push the dough away then fold it again onto itself. Repeat, including extra flour as wanted to forestall sticking, till the dough is cohesive, elastic, and smooth.
  • Chill. Wrap the dough ball in plastic. Refrigerate for not less than 2 hours (and as much as 24 hours).
A photo of a hand kneading dough and another photo of a ball of dough.
Knead the dough till cohesive, elastic, and smooth.

Make the filling

  • Mix the elements. Gently fold collectively the drained ricotta, mascarpone cheese, and powdered sugar till nicely mixed.
  • Chill. Cowl the combination and chill within the fridge for 2-3 hours.
A photo of straining ricotta cheese and another photo of cannoli filling in a bowl
Pressure the ricotta then mix the filling elements.

Create the shells

  • Prep. Grease the cannoli mildew with vegetable oil. Put aside. Minimize the dough in half, wrapping one half again within the plastic and setting it apart.
  • Minimize out the shells. Roll the dough out on a evenly floured floor, including extra flour as wanted to forestall sticking. Roll it out to 1/8-inch thick then use a spherical cutter to chop out as many circles as doable. Place below a layer of clear wrap. Repeat with the second half of the dough then mix the scraps from the 2 batches and repeat till you will have about 25 shells.
  • Let loosen up. Let the lined circles sit for about 10 minutes, giving the dough time to loosen up. They’ll possible shrink up a bit, which is ok. (By the point you end slicing the second batch, the primary ones may be prepared.)
  • Re-roll every circle. Re-roll every circle, one by one, to the unique dimension. If it doesn’t keep spherical, you need to use the rounder cutter once more. I typically discover that sprinkling some flour onto the dough helps in not snap again a lot.
Cutting circles of dough with a round cutter
Roll out the dough then reduce circles out and let the dough loosen up. Re-roll the shells to the best dimension.
  • Form the shells. Place the cannoli mildew down on the middle of a dough spherical. Convey one set as much as relaxation over the mildew, brush it with the egg white, then fold the alternative dough up and over, urgent into the eggy floor. Repeat with the opposite circles.
Shaping dough around a cannoli mold
Wrap the circles round a cannoli mildew.
  • Preheat the oil. Pour 2-3 inches of vegetable oil right into a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Warmth to 375F over medium-high warmth then scale back the warmth to medium and proceed to warmth.
  • Cook dinner the shells. Use tongs so as to add 2-3 shells to the oil at a time, permitting them to be absolutely lined. Fry till the dough blisters and turns golden, about 1-2 minutes. Switch to a paper towel-lined pan to chill. Regulate the temperature as wanted to take care of the oil at 375F.
  • Take away the molds. After the shells cool for a minute, rigorously take away the molds. Enable the shells to proceed cooling.
Two photos showing a cannoli shell being fried
Fry the cannoli shells till golden brown.
  • Dip in chocolate. Soften the chocolate then dip the ends of the cannoli shells within the chocolate. Set on the parchment paper to chill fully.
  • Fill the cannoli shells. Switch the chilled filling to a piping bag. Pipe the filling into cannoli shells, piping from the center out on one aspect then repeating on the opposite aspect. Add any decorations, just like the mini chocolate chips. Get pleasure from!
Filling a cannoli shell
Switch the filling to a piping bag and fill the shells.

Making Excellent Cannoli Shells

One of many greatest points I seen when making the shells is the dough snapping again while you roll it out and once more while you reduce out the circles. When you can simply cope with it and fry them anyway, I discovered that made it a lot more durable to get the dough skinny sufficient to bubble correctly they usually all the time ended up smaller than I wished.

The answer: Do your greatest to roll the dough out thinly and reduce out the circles. It’s okay in the event that they snap again at this level. Let the dough circles relaxation (whereas lined with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out), then re-roll them, dusting with flour as wanted (which additionally helps it not snap again a lot). Then you need to use the circle cutter to chop it to the best form once more and it shouldn’t snap again this time. This labored SO nicely and I bought the form I wished and the attractive bubbles on the shell.

Overhead view of cannoli on the counter

Suggestions for Success

Past the above notice about rolling out the dough for the shells, listed below are just a few different suggestions that will help you make the right cannoli.

  • Don’t over combine. Combine the filling till simply absolutely mixed, as mascarpone cheese can begin to break down if it’s over-mixed after which it gained’t agency again up as nicely.
  • You could want extra/much less filling. The variety of cannoli you get from the recipe will rely just a little on how huge you make them and the way thinly you roll them out. So that you may want roughly filling, relying on how huge and what number of cannoli you make.
  • Pressure the ricotta. That is tremendous necessary to creating the right texture for the filling! In the event you don’t pressure the ricotta, the filling might be too runny.
  • Roll the shells skinny. In any other case, they brown on the skin with out getting as absolutely cooked on the within, so then they aren’t as crispy and don’t bubble as nicely.
  • Wrap the shells loosely. I wish to wrap the shells just a little extra loosely across the mildew. It offers them extra of a flared finish, which I like, and makes them simpler to fill.
  • Wait to fill the shells. In the event you don’t plan on serving your cannoli quickly, wait. Don’t fill them till able to serve them, or as much as about an hour earlier than so that they keep crispy.
Homemade cannoli on a cutting board

Make Forward & Storage

  • Make forward. Unfilled cannoli shells will be saved in an hermetic container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for 1-2 months. The cannoli filling will be made a day or two forward and saved in an hermetic container within the fridge.
  • Fridge. Retailer leftover stuffed cannoli in an hermetic container within the fridge. The shells will soften over time, staying crispy for less than about an hour.
  • Freezer. You can too freeze them in an hermetic container for as much as a month. Thaw them within the fridge earlier than utilizing. If the shells have been nonetheless crispy while you frozen them, they need to be crisp for just a little bit after thawing them. You can too freeze the shells un-filled.

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Homemade cannoli on a cutting board