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Cannoli

Equipment

  • Shell Recipe (8 shells)
  • 8 oz of 00 flour
  • 3 T of cold cubed butter
  • 3 T white sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 3 T of Marsala or red wine
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • Sunflower oil for frying

Ingredients

Ricotta Filling:-

1 lb ricotta

Drain in cheesecloth or strainer for 1 hour

½ cup of granulated sugar

½ tsp vanilla

⅓ tsp cinnamon

Chopped pistachios, mini chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit for garnish

Instructions

For Cannoli shells mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt together, mix in butter with a fork,then  mix further with your hands until crumbly. Beat egg with wine and stir into flour mixture.  Mix and knead together for 9-10 minutes. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 40 minutes. Roll out and cut into 4 inch circles, about ⅛” thick.  Wrap them around a 1 inch cannoli form and fry until crisp and bubbly. Drain on a paper towel until cool, slide off and they are ready to fill. Or you can buy ready to use cannoli shells.

    FillingMix the drained ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon together. Mix well until smooth, ricotta has curds and will have some grain to it.  Whipping it well will make it a smoother texture if you prefer. Once the mixture is to your liking, fill a pastry bag or quart sized ziploc and cut the corner off. Make sure to seal it before filling the shells. Dip the ends in your choice of garnish, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

      Video

      Notes

      The Cannoli  is an Italian pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta cheese or mascarpone cream.  Add mini chocolate chips, pistachios or pieces of dried fruit to each end and sprinkle with powdered sugar as a garnish. Traditionally, they are served as part of the Italian dessert course.  A Cannoli can also be served as a snack or enjoyed even for breakfast. Yes I said it, Breakfast!