Homemade Cannoli

Your first batch of homemade cannoli may not look like the perfect ones you find in those fancy Italian bakeries – but I promise they’ll taste just as good.

Maybe even better, since the satisfaction of checking something off your baking bucket list often tastes almost as good as the recipe itself!

I’ve always wanted to make a homemade cannoli recipe, but the closest I’ve ever come was a delicious batch of Cannoli Cupcakes. They hit the spot, but they’re definitely not the same.

Whether your experienced or a novice baker, your first batch of homemade cannoli may not look like the perfect ones you find in those fancy Italian bakeries. Maybe not even like the ones at the grocery store. Goodness knows mine didn’t (I mean, you’re looking at ’em.)

The good news is, if you get it right, I can promise they’ll taste just as good!

Maybe even better, since the satisfaction of checking something off your baking bucket list often tastes almost as good as the recipe itself.

I’ve always wanted to make a homemade cannoli recipe, but the closest I’ve ever come was with my Cannoli Cupcakes. They hit the spot, but they’re definitely not the same.

How To Make Cannolis:

• Cannoli Shells
• Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles small pebbles.
• Add the egg and cold wine and pulse until the dough just barely begins to hold together. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, 3-4 minutes.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Lightly coat the dough with flour and roll it through a pasta machine set to the thickest setting. If you don’t have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface, to 1/8-inch thick.
• Use a 4-inch, round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough. Take one circle at a time and pull it into a 5-inch oval. Repeat with the excess dough, kneading it back together and cutting it until you have 12 ovals.
• Place the egg white (the extra egg yolk can be discarded) in a small bowl and set aside. In a wide pot with a heavy bottom, heat shortening or the vegetable oil of your choice to between 350 and 380 degrees F. Line a large plate with paper towels.
• Wrap one oval of dough loosely lengthwise around a mold or 1-inch-diameter wooden dowel. Brush one end of the dough with egg white, then pull the dry end over the top and press down to seal. Repeat with three more dough ovals.
• Using tongs, carefully lower the dough into the oil and fry shells until golden brown, turning them as they fry, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shells with the tongs and transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate to cool.
• When the shells are cool enough to touch, remove the molds and repeat with the remaining dough in batches.
• Dip ends of cooled shells in melted chocolate if desired, and let cool until dry.

Cannoli Filling:

• Wrap the ricotta in cheesecloth and drain overnight in a bowl. 
• In a separate bowl, gently mix together the drained ricotta and powdered sugar with a rubber spatula in a mixing bowl until well combined.
• Add the zest and chips and fold until evenly distributed. (Cream can be refrigerated up to one day in a covered container.)
• Place the cream in a disposable pastry bag and cut a 1/2-inch diameter piece off the end/corner. Insert the tip into one end of a shell and pipe the cream in, filling it halfway. Then pipe the rest in the other end. Repeat with the remaining shells.
• Dip the filled shells in chocolate chips, crushed pistachios, and sliced almonds if desired. Dust the finished cannoli with powdered sugar before serving.

Ingredients
Shells:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Filling:

• 2 cups ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup small semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 lemon
• 1 quart canola oil, for frying
• Flour, for rolling
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. For the shell dough: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the flour with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and the white wine and mix until it becomes a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough to fill the gap. Flattening the dough will mean less rolling later. Let it rest in the fridge for a few minutes while you make the filling.
2. For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to blend. In a separate bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the heavy cream until fairly stiff. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.
3. To roll and fry the shells: In a medium pot with a heavy bottom, heat the canola oil to 360 degrees F. Meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour on a flat surface. Flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough until it is very thin (about 1/8-inch thick). Cut the dough into fourths and work in small batches. Use any glass or small bowl that has a 3-to-4-inch diameter. Cut rounds, tracing around each one to assure the dough has been fully cut. You should have about 24 circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold. Use a little of the egg wash on the edge of each round to seal it shut and to assure it won't slide or fall off the mold before pressing it closed over the mold. Flare the edges out slightly from the mold. Flaring will allow the oil to penetrate each cannoli shell as they fry. Use a pair of tongs to hold the edge of the mold as you submerge and fry the shell in the oil until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil, and holding the mold in one had with your tongs, gently grip the shell in your other hand with a kitchen towel and carefully slide it off the mold. Set aside to cool. Repeat with all of the circles.
4. To fill the cannolis: Just before serving, use a pastry bag without a tip to pipe the ricotta into the cannoli molds. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends so the cream runs through the whole shell. Dust with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar gives that little extra sweetness and added texture to the exterior. It also makes me feel like I have a professional bakery touch in my own home. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note

• If the ricotta has an excess of liquid, drain it over a strainer for at least a half an hour before making the filling. Make and fry the shells and the filling. Don't fill the shells with the cream until you are ready to eat them. Everyone loves a crispy cannoli.

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