Cannoli

4.86 from 7 votes

Cannoli are seriously dreamy, crisp shells filled with a ricotta and chocolate mixture. They're perfect for an elegant dinner party to serve as an eye-catching, impressive dessert.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Straining Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cannoli

Author: Suzy Karadsheh

Equipment

Ingredients

For the filling

12 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely grated, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ounces candied fruit, finely chopped (optional)

For the pastry

2 cups (256 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
pinch salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter diced
2 eggs beaten
3 tablespoons Marsala wine
1 egg white, lightly beaten mixed with 1 tbsp of water to make egg wash
Oil for frying

Instructions

Strain the ricotta cheese. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Line the sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth, a flour sack towel, or a couple of sturdy paper towels. Add the ricotta cheese and use the back of a spoon to smooth it into an even thickness. Allow the ricotta to drain overnight in the refrigerator.
Prepare the pastry. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until you have a coarse mixture. Mix in the eggs and Marsala wine. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough. (If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour at a time and continue to knead until you are able to form a smooth ball.) Place the dough back into the bowl and refrigerate it for an hour.
Roll out and cut the dough. Take the pastry dough out of the fridge. On a clean, thoroughly-floured work surface, roll the pastry dough out as thinly as possibly (1/16-inch). Lift and flip the dough occasionally, adding more flour as necessary to roll it out, to ensure it’s not sticking to the surface. If the dough begins to shrink back, transfer it to a baking sheet and refrigerate it for 15 minutes, then continue rolling. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds. You should have between 18 and 24 rounds.
Form the cannoli shells. Dust cannoli molds with flour and wrap each pastry circle around a cannoli mold. Dampen the edge of the dough with the egg wash and press to seal the two edges of the circle shut where they meet in the middle.
Fry the cannoli shells. Fill a saucepan a third of the way with oil. Heat the oil to 350°F. Line a plate with a paper towel. A few at a time, deep fry the cannoli shells until they are uniformly golden and crisp, just a few moments. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, transfer the molds to the prepared plate. When the molds and pastry shells are cool enough to handle, gently twist the cannoli forms to release the shells. Repeat the process of forming and frying the cannoli shells until all the shells are fried and set them aside to cool completely. Once cooled, store the shells in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Mix the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the strained ricotta, grated chocolate, confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and, if using, the candied fruit. Mix until all is well combined and transfer to a piping bag, if you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Fill the cannoli and serve. Just before serving, pipe or spoon the filling into the cannoli shells. Dust them with a generous amount of confectioner’s sugar and grated dark chocolate.

Video

Notes

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Once filled, cannoli go soggy very quickly, so it’s best to add the filling right before serving!
Storage: Store fried, unfilled cannoli shells in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. The filling can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
To freeze cannoli shells: Unfilled cannoli shells can be stored frozen for about 2 weeks. Longer than that I find that they lose their crispness.
To freeze cannoli filling: Place it in a freezer-safe bag or container, and freeze for up to a month. If it separates once thawed, drain off any extra liquid, then mix it gently to combine everything again.

Nutrition

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