Cannoli

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There's nothing better than nibbling on freshly made cannoli at a good Italian deli. This homemade cannoli is almost as good!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 25

Chill Time3

Total Time5 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: cannoli, mascarpone, ricotta

Servings: servings (1 cannoli)

Author: Lori Lange/ RecipeGirl

Ingredients

CANNOLI SHELLS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons shortening (or butter), melted
¾ cup sweet Marsala wine
1 large egg white

FILLING:

¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight with cheesecloth and squeezed dry
¾ cup mascarpone cheese
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon Grand Marnier
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt

FRYING AND FINISHING:

canola or vegetable oil
mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, candied orange peel or chopped chocolate, your choice
powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

MAKE THE CANNOLI SHELLS:

Combine the dry ingredients and mix in the shortening/butter and Marsala until you get a stiff, smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
When you're ready to make the shells, place enough oil in a fry pan so that the cannoli shells will be able to be covered completely when frying. Dip each of the metal cannoli forms in oil and set on a rack. Heat the oil to 350°F. You'll need to use a thermometer because it's important that the oil is right around that temperature. Too hot, and you'll burn the shells. Too cool and the shells will turn out greasy and soft.
Remove the dough from refrigerator and divide it into four pieces. Start with one piece and roll it out on a floured surface until very thin- as thin as you can get it without having it tear apart. If you have a pasta rolling machine, roll it through several times until it is smooth and thin. (On my KA pasta machine attachment, I used #4 on my machine.)
Once your dough is rolled out, cut out 4-inch circles. I used the top of a plastic bowl that had a 4-inch diameter and it worked just fine. Wrap the cut cannoli dough around the metal form and brush the edges with egg white to seal.
Use tongs to set it in the heated oil. Let it fizzle for about 2 minutes, watching that it isn't getting too dark. Remove with tongs and set on rack to drain. Let cool a bit and then carefully slip the shell off of the form. They will be thin and crispy, so you'll need to do so carefully, perhaps using folded up paper towels to help wiggle it off the form.

MAKE THE FILLING:

Mix the filling ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (at least a couple of hours).
When ready to fill the cannoli (you should do so only a few hours before serving- if you fill them too far ahead, they will begin to get soggy), place the filling in a pastry bag with a wide tip opening (or simply a freezer zip bag with the corner snipped off).
Hold a cannoli shell in one hand and the squeeze the bag in the other. Gently squeeze the filling into both ends of the shell to fill it. Let the filling come out of each end a little bit.
Edge the cannoli with desired decor... mini-chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, chopped pistachio, etc. Remove to a platter and repeat with remaining shells. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, give the cannoli a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top if you wish.

Notes

Vanilla extract may be substituted for the Grand Marnier.
Metal cannoli tubes can be ordered online, but they can also be found in well-stocked cooking stores.
A pasta rolling machine isn't a must to make the cannoli dough, but it makes it much easier to get nice, thin dough.
Cannoli shells can be made a day or two in advance. Store in a sealed plastic container.
Flavor will make a difference if you use really good quality ricotta and mascarpone cheese.
If you cannot locate mascarpone cheese, you can substitute cream cheese.
And, if you want to make this really, really easy... purchase some ready-made cannoli shells at a good Italian deli, and fill them with this delicious filling.

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