Cannoli

Cannoli

  • Prep Time: 1 hrs
  • Total Time: 1 hrs
  • Servings: 12

    • Ingredients

    SHELLS

  • 2cupsflour
  • 1/8 teaspoonsalt
  • 1tablespoonsugar
  • 1/2 cupbutter
  • 1egg, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cupwhite wine

    • FILLING

  • 1cupricotta cheese
  • 1cupmascarpone
  • 3/4 cupconfectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1tablespoonAmaretto(optional)
  • 3ouncessemisweet chocolate, grated
  • 1/4 cupconfectioners’ sugar, sifted

    • Directions

  • SHELLS: Combine flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.
  • Cut in butter untilmixture resembles coarse meal.
  • Stir in beaten egg.
  • Gradually stir in wine,mixing well.
  • Shape dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  • Turndough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/16-inch thickness.
  • Cut into 3 1/2-inch circles, and roll circles into 5-inch ovals.
  • Place a cannoli form, lengthwise,down the center of each oval and roll dough around form.
  • Moisten seam with water to seal.
  • Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven and heat to 350°F.
  • Fry cannoli shells one minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Drain on paper towels and cool about 5 seconds.
  • Remove the form and cool cannoli shells completely.
  • FILLING: Thoroughly drain ricotta in a strainer, discarding the liquid.
  • Putricotta in a processor and process until smooth.
  • Combine ricotta,mascarpone,powdered sugar and Amaretto, if using, in a medium bowl and beat at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Fold in two grated squares ofchocolate. Place in the refrigerator and chill 4 hours.
  • Pipe, or spoon. fillinginto shells.
  • Sprinkle shells with remaining powdered sugar and exposed fillingwith remaining chocolate.
  • NOTES :A substitute for mascarpone cheese may be mad by combining 16 ounces cream cheese, 1/3 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup whipping cream.

    • Reviews

  • “Perfect! I only made the filling and it was exactly what I wanted my filling to taste like. The mascarpone cheese made it so creamy and smooth. I chose not to add the Amaretto and instead of grated chocolate, I added a handful of mini chocolate chips. After filling the shells, I then dipped each end into more of the chips. I neglected to notice the chilling time until after I’d made the filling, so I put it into the freezer for about 20 minutes and that seemed to work just fine. To fill the shells, I spooned the filling into a ziploc bag and then snipped off the end and that worked great as a piping bag. I used premade shells from World Market and they were good. And I also bought shells from my local Italian Deli and they had cinnamon added to them and that was great! So I’d recommend adding some cinnamon to the shells if you’re making them yourself.”

  • “These were good for those that can’t get the real thing.The Mascarpone made them creamier than just ricotta.Will use whole ricotta (not skim) next time.World Market has the shells premade and they are really good.”

  • “Loved the filling. The slight grittiness of the ricotta faded somewhat overnight. I substituted mini chocolate chips for the shavings as it was easier. As for the shells, I didn’t care for them and will find a new recipe. They were dry and crumbly, even after trying multiple thicknesses. if I could, Id give five stars for filling, one for the shells”

  • “This is the recipe that I use for my cannoli filling, and I highly recommend it (I’m able to purchase shells at a local grocery that makes them, so I’ve never made the shells). This filling is the best; the texture and taste is just right, sweet but not too sweet. I’m not a big fan of amaretto, so I always omit this ingredient and it tastes good without it. I’ve been using this recipe for years–thanks Tranch for posting.”

  • “I’m going to have to make this recipe again to give it a true rating, because I screwed up so many things, I’m thinking it should be even better than it turned out.1st off, I learned that just because the ricotta looks dry, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be drained.Then, I discovered that I shouldn’t try to save dirty dishes by doing the filling all in the food processor.I got a runny mess that I was just going to turn into ice cream, until I decided to add some cream cheese to thicken it up, which worked wonderfully.I also added a pinch of salt to add some depth to the flavor, I did use vanilla instead of the Amaretto.For the shells I learned that you canNOT improvise a cannoli mold out of foil.LOLIt just doesn’t work.Frying the discs flat wasn’t a good idea, either, because they puffed up too much to just put the filling on top.In the end, I cut out discs, molded them into a mini muffin tin, baked them at 400 for 12 minutes, then piped the filling into them and sprinkled them with mini chocolate chips.The ladies I had over for lunch enjoyed them just the same.It shouldn’t be that difficult, should it?;o)”

  • “This is the absolute best cannoli recipe I’ve tried so far! I’ve tried quite a few. So many recipes only use Ricotta but Mascarpone cheese is the key to the best cannoli. The shells were perfectly flaky but firm. I used Almond flavor instead of Amaretto and added just a pinch of cinnamon. I also used less sugar than the recipe called for because I have to watch my sugar intake. Other than that,I love this recipe! A+++”

  • “I didn’t have Amaretto, so I added a tbsp of vanilla extract. I took them to a get-together and they disappeared! Easy and delicious!”

  • “My family loved this recipe. They are begging for it again. My small changes were to add dried currants (less than a 1/4 cup) to the filling and I used pre-made shells to save some time.”

  • “Normally, I am not a fan of cannoli at all. I’ve always had the same complaints as everone else. Too sweet! This recipe is fantastic and very easy to make. I am fortunate enough to live near alot of Italian specialy stores and they stock the shells so I just made the filling. I think the marscapone cheese adds a great dimension to this old favorite and would stack them up against any other cannoli any day of the week!! You have achieved the impossible, Tranch, you’ve made me a fan of this classic Italian dessert and have inspired me to make the dough for my next foray into the cannoli making oddessy. Salute!!”

  • “I made just the filling and found it to be so smooth and creamy. I got so many compliments on this dessert.My changes – I did not put the chocolate in the filling. Instead, I dipped the ends of my shells in melted chocolate.I then sprinkled the filling on the ends with either mini chocolate chips or crushed pistachios.Fantastic! Oh, one more thing!The piping was worth the effort.The cannoli looked like they came straight from a professional bakery. My italian family was very impressed.”

  • “This recipe was time consuming but the results were superb!I used double the filling recipe for a single batch of dough, and replaced the chocolate shavings with mini chocolate chips.The taste was phenomenal–as good as any I’ve ever had from the Italian bakeries in NY! “

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