Italian Cannoli Pastry

Italian Cannoli is one of our favorite pastries ever invented and of course, everyone will tell you they make the best, just like I will tell you now, this is my mom's recipe and she made the best!


The creamy filling of mascarpone and ricotta is just an addicting confection you just want to grab a spoon and keep eating.


Although you can buy premade cannoli shells, we always made our own and my step-by-step instructions will certainly take any doubts in your mind that there is anything hard about them, easy but you have to have the right tools.


This tubular fried crust then filled with this smooth rich delectable cheese filling inside is incredible.


The cylinder tubes can be found online, you can get them at a specialty shop for baking also.


The cylinders are a must-have to make these, some folks do a pizzelle maker but if I am going to only make these once a year on Easter, they're going into hot oil like the original way mom made them.


We love cannoli and I make a fabulous Cannoli Pie Cannoli Mousse, Cannoli Ice Cream, Cannoli Tarts, and of course a fabulous modern-day Cannoli Dip.


I'm not going to lie, this is a bit time-consuming but every Easter it's a tradition to make these pastries and there is no way I would want to disappoint my family, so beware, you will be starting your own tradition with these they're so delicious.


Scroll down to the printable recipe card and give it a try and message me with any questions or concerns, please read my tips they will help immensely.

A Little History Cannoli

The cannoli is a popular Italian dessert that is widely known throughout the world.


However, even though millions of people have consumed the delicious treat, not many people know exactly what it is or how it originated.


The tube-like dessert has many conflicting stories of where or who originated but most of the information believes it was first made in Palermo, Italy.


In that time period, the cannoli was specifically made for Carnivale in Sicily.


This festive season occurs right before lent and consists of parades and masquerades similar to Mardi Gras.


Today, the cannoli is enjoyed throughout the year and is thought of as a decadent treat and Sicilian dessert.


We keep the Easter tradition every year and make these in my mom's memory and now my son helps me fill them.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Filling:
• whole milk ricotta cheese,
• Mascarpone cheese (or use whipped cream cheese in a pinch) both should be at room temperature.
• powdered sugar)
• mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (more for garnish)
• pinch of cinnamon
• Optional: garnish on top chopped pistachios, fresh berries
• dough:
• flour
• sugar
• sweet  Marsala Wine
• egg
• shortening

Garnish Suggestions on each side of the Cannoli:

• strawberries fresh on each end
• any kinds of fresh berries or fruit you like even maraschino cherries
• mini chocolate chips on each end
• amaretti crushed cookies
• pistachios crushed
• toasted almonds
• colorful sprinkles
• chopped covered almonds
• crushed chocolate chip cookies
• dip each end in melted chocolate
• add orange or lemon zest to the filling

Tools

• cutting board
• rolling pin
• cookie sheets 
• deep fryer or deep cooking pan
• large round cutter and small (those are optional you can roll the dough out and use a round bowl to cut the dough also)
• metal cylinder tubes to fry with

Tips

1. Make you use whole milk ricotta cheese or if you can, always better to make it Homemade
2. Remember to strain the ricotta, so it isn’t watery.
3. If you have a problem with running ricotta, you may not have squeezed out all the water or strained it enough. To fix it you will have to add 1 tablespoon of instant tapioca pudding or instant vanilla pudding and let it sit  a few minutes until it thickens
4. Refrigerate and chill until ready to serve or fill cannoli shells at the last minute.
5. Don't fill the cannoli in advance because the crust will not stay crunchy
6. for mini cannoli make two small cut out dough with smaller cutter on each end of the tube, seal and fry

More Cannoli Recipes

Italian Cannoli Cupcakes

Cannoli Cake

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Treat Yourself to these Fabulous Pastries

If you're a cannoli lover look no further than this recipe, the homemade cannoli dough, and decadent ricotta mascarpone cheese filling is fabulous, bar none.



I love to watch the eyes rolls on their first taste of that crunch shell and creamy cheese filling, and it's the first dessert gone on the table.



They really aren't hard to make, just take time, so put some aside you won't be sorry I promise.



Every cannoli lover will fall in love at first bite.

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Italian

Yield: 24

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Italian Cannoli Pastry

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 4 MinTotal time: 19 Min

A decadent Italian pastry that's tube-shaped filled with creamy ricotta cheese and popular all over the world

Ingredients

• Dough Ingredients:
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of Marsala wine or use white if you don't have Marsala
• 3 tablespoon shortening
• 1 egg beaten
• water for sealing the edges of the dough on the cylinder
• Filling ingredients:
• 2 cups whole milk Ricotta or use Homemade Ricotta Recipe strained in a cheesecloth
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar or more to taste sifted
• 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• dash of cinnamon
• Note: make sure you strain the ricotta or it will be watery, also for a super creamy filling you have to sift the powdered sugar.

Instructions

1. Dough Instructions:
2. Mix all the ingredients to form a ball, if it's too dry keep add a little more Marsala at a time until it holds together trying not to overwork the dough.
3. Let the dough rest around 15 minutes covered.
4. Roll the dough as thin as you can or use a pasta machine. ( I roll it around 1/4 inch thick.)
5. Cut the dough into a 4 x 4 round or 3 x 3 for miniature cannoli.
6. Wrap the dough around an oil sprayed cannoli cylinder sealing the edges with a little water.
7. Heat the oil to medium.
8. Drop a tiny piece into the oil if floats to the top the oil is ready to fry the cannoli shells.
9. Fry turning constantly (if using a deep saucepan) keep turning starting off with the seam side down.
10. (It takes just around 3 minutes on each side in a deep saucepan.)
11. If you have a deep fryer with a basket, just place the cannoli cylinders in the basket DO NOT CROWD them and deep fry until golden for either method around 3 to 4 minutes watching carefully.
12. Cool completely before sliding off the cylinder.
13. Store in an airtight container and only fill before serving or they will get soft.
14. Filling instructions:
15. Mix all ingredients until evenly blended together.
16. Add the chocolate chips.
17. Using a plastic ziplock bag, fill it and cut the end and fill each cannoli shell your serving.
18. Garnish with our suggestions if desired below:
19. strawberries fresh on each end
20. any kinds of fresh berries or fruit you like even maraschino cherries
21. mini chocolate chips on each end
22. amaretti crushed cookies
23. pistachios crushed
24. toasted almonds
25. colorful sprinkles
26. chopped covered almonds
27. crushed chocolate chip cookies
28. dip each end in melted chocolate
29. add orange or lemon zest to the filling

Calories

257.82

Fat (grams)

12.95

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.37

Carbs (grams)

29.91

Fiber (grams)

0.86

Net carbs

29.05

Sugar (grams)

10.44

Protein (grams)

5.73

Sodium (milligrams)

147.68

Cholesterol (grams)

27.12

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2010/10/italian-cannoli-recipe-upstate-ny-style.html

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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2010. It was edited and re-published in 2021.