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Cannoli

Cannoli: Easy Homemade Delight with a Creamy Twist

Cannoli are crispy Italian pastries filled with a creamy ricotta-mascarpone mixture, making for a delightful dessert.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 cannoli
Calories 250 kcal

Equipment

  • food processor
  • stand mixer
  • cannoli forms
  • large Dutch oven
  • baking sheet
  • piping bag

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 ⅓ ounces), plus more for work surface and dough
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 0.75 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 0.125 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons cold water
  • 3 tablespoons Marsala
  • 1 large egg white beaten
  • 4 jars refined coconut oil (four 14-ounce jars) or lard
  • cooking spray

Filling

  • 8.75 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese drained (1 cup)
  • 1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
  • 0.75 cup powdered sugar (about 3 ounces)
  • 1.5 teaspoons fresh orange zest (from 1 orange)
  • 0.5 (4 ounces) (70% cacao) bittersweet chocolate bar chopped (⅓ cup)
  • 0.25 cup finely chopped salted roasted pistachios

Instructions
 

Prepare the Dough

  • Pulse flour, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor until butter is completely incorporated into flour, about 10 pulses. Add water and Marsala, and process until dough forms a soft, tacky ball, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a lightly greased medium bowl; cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
  • Remove dough from bowl, and place on a heavily floured work surface. Sprinkle dough generously with flour, and roll to 1/16-inch thickness, about a 14 inch circle. Brush excess flour from surface of dough, and brush evenly with egg white (do not discard leftover egg white). Fold dough in half and dust with additional flour; roll to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out as many 4-inch rounds as you can from dough. Reroll scraps up to 3 more times (14 to 16 rounds total).
  • Heat coconut oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until a thermometer registers 360°F. Lightly coat cannoli forms with cooking spray. Wrap dough rounds around greased forms, and dab dough with remaining egg white where rounds overlap; seal dough, being careful not to get egg white on cannoli forms. Line a large baking sheet using paper towels.
  • Working in 4 batches, slowly lower prepared cannoli forms into hot oil, and cook until blistered and browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cooked cannoli shells to prepared baking sheet. While cannoli shells are still hot, hold each cannoli shell using tongs, and tap tapered end of cannoli form on a work surface until cannoli shell slides free. Remove form, and let cool before wrapping with additional dough. Let shells cool until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Prepare the Filling

  • Beat ricotta and mascarpone with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and orange zest, and beat on high speed until thickened, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Transfer to a piping bag or ziplock plastic bag; snip off end, and pipe a heaping 2-tablespoons filling into each cannoli shell. Dip each exposed end of shells into either chopped chocolate or chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cannoli, a crisp and creamy Italian dessert with origins in Sicily, is made of pastry dough that has been molded into a tube and fried until crispy. The fried pastry is filled with orange-scented mascarpone and ricotta cheese filling and then dipped in chopped chocolate or pistachio. Use hard oil like refined coconut oil or lard to ensure the pastry stays crisp for several days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cannoliCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 6gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 150mgIron: 1mg
Keyword cannoli, creamy filling, dessert, homemade, Italian dessert, sweet treat
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