I love a cup of seriously strong coffee and a cannoli from an Italian bakery on Bleeker Street in Manhattan. When I am making these at home, I am holding them up to the standard of those memories. The dessert really comes together in two parts: make the shell, thin and crispy and then make a filling with serious flavor.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 24 cannoli |
Ingredients
- 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
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 174 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg |
| Sodium | 33 mg |
Reviews
How long will these shells last after making them?
Five stars for the cannoli filling. I did vary slightly I tripled the recipe and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon was perfect for my taste. Zest of lemon brightened the cream.
I’m filling mini shells so I didn’t add chips to filling but will dip the ends.
I’m filling mini shells so I didn’t add chips to filling but will dip the ends.
I cheated and purchased premade shells on Amazon. Truthfully, they are better than any shell I’ve ever made.
I”ve tried 5 times, and I still CANNOT make a dough out of the flour/butter proportions…I NEVER get “sand” , and when I add egg and wine…THEN I get “sand”–but NOT dough…of any description! WHAT am I doing WRONG???? 45 mins of hand mixing and it doesn’t work tells me, I’m wrong!!!
OK…THIS is the recipe! I grew up in the restaurant business and I’m a pretty good cook and baker. Spent the past two years perfecting baguettes. Never did try cannolis before, however. After viewing several videos & recipes and trying three (all failures) I tried Alex’s with great results. This one works beautifully. The only quibble I had was the dough needed more moisture so I increased the amount of wine. Maybe it’s because we live at 7,100 ft. altitude but I really don’t think so.
Anyway, once I got the dough to the right consistency, rested it and (this is important!) rolled it VERY THIN) the shells were beautiful. Forget the 1/8′” or even the 1/16″. Roll it “paper thin” and you’ll be happy.
Anyway, once I got the dough to the right consistency, rested it and (this is important!) rolled it VERY THIN) the shells were beautiful. Forget the 1/8′” or even the 1/16″. Roll it “paper thin” and you’ll be happy.
The shell dough hasn’t turned for me after 2 tries! Following recipe exactly it turns out too crumbly and won’t smooth out the way it looks on this video. The filling is great however. I’m gonna try someone else’s
hi
This recipe has been one of the most easy recipes to follow. I loved the video because it clears up any technique questions for people like me without to much skills. Two slight differences, I let the ricotta drain overnight & I only added 1/2 of the cinnamon because I read the reviews and I think it was delightful just like that but I don’t think the full amount would be bad either. It came out picture perfect. Wish I could upload a photo of it. Didn’t really matter to me if the recipe was or wasn’t “authentic Italian” because it was absolutely delicious. Thanks Alex.
After doing a number of different shell recipes, this one is the winner. I knew I rolled it out thin enough because I got 24 cannoli. Even though the dough was very thin, it was also very manageable. I did mine in coconut oil which I much preferred over the ones I did in canola or lard. I did not do the filling as the filling I like is one I cobbled together with 16 ounces of whole milk ricotta, good brand, 4 ounces of mascarpone, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. I put that all in my food processor and beat the heck out of it until it was smooth and creamy and no granules of sugar could be felt. I did end up putting about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream whipped into it and it was the perfect consistency to fill these without it wanting to slide out of the filled cannoli. I did put my ricotta to drain but absolutely no liquid came off of it after 24 hours, so I will be sure to go with this brand again since that’s one step that is eliminated.
Read the Cook’s Notes about frying the shell and filling, why would you do that?
I haven’t made these yet but I will probably try them, they sound really good!
I haven’t made these yet but I will probably try them, they sound really good!
Very good! Omitting the chocolate chips, but made a chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top. Made them in cornet molds instead….keeps the filling from oozing out