Cannoli Recipe
Makes 22-24 4-inch cannoli
Prep time:Dough 2 hours and 10-20 minutes, including resting time, and depending on whether you do it by hand or machine.
Filling: 5-10 minutes plus chilling time (about 2 hours or more)
Frying: 1-2 minutes per cannoli
Assemble: 20-30 minutes
CANNOLI SHELLS
- 2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
- Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
- 1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
- Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying, about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
- 1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
- Confectioners' sugar
DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
Step 1 - In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
Step 2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8 thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles. Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it's shrunk a little.
Step 3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
Step 4 - In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
Step 5 - Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
Step 6 - Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
Step 7 - Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.
Pasta Machine method:
Step 1- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through
Step 2 - Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.
Step 3 Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.
CANNOLI FILLING
For Finger Bun Cannoli
- 250g ricotta cheese, drained
- 1/3 cups cup (40 grams/1.5 ounces) confectioner's sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons sultanas
- 3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons water
- a very small amount of pink food colouring gel (I use a toothpick to measure it)
- 2 tablespoons dessicated or shredded coconut
Step 1 - In a bowl, beat the drained ricotta until smooth and then add sifted icing sugar. Stir in sultanas or raisins and your filling is ready.
Step 2 - For dipping icing: in another bowl, place icing sugar and oil and add water until a dippable consistency is reached. Add food colouring and stir. Dip the fried cannoli shells in the icing. Sprinkle the icing lightly with coconut and allow to set.
Step 3 - Fit a piping bag with a star tip and and place ricotta filling in the bag. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side.
For Black Olive and Dark Chocolate Cannoli:
- 250g ricotta cheese, drained
- 1/3 cups cup (40 grams/1.5 ounces) confectioner's sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
- 1 tablespoon well drained black olives (I drained them against a few paper towels overnight and pressed down to get rid of all of the water) finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate melted
Step 1 - In a bowl, beat the drained ricotta until smooth and then add sifted icing sugar.
Step 2 - Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave and dip the fried cannoli shells in the chocolate. Sprinkle the chocolate lightly with finely chopped black olives and allow to set.
Step 3 - Fit a piping bag with a star tip and and place ricotta filling in the bag. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side.
For Rice Pudding Cannoli:
- 2/3 cup of medium grain rice
- 1/2 litre milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1/2 cup whipped cream
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate melted
- 3 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios
Step 1 - In a medium saucepan, heat milk until boiling and add rice and turn down to low and cook for 45 minutes with lid on until rice is soft and milk has absorbed. Add sugar, salt, nutmeg and vanilla. Cool thoroughly. Once completely cool, stir in whipped cream.
Step 2 - Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave and dip the fried cannoli shells in the chocolate. Dip the chocolate lightly in finely chopped pistachios and allow to set.
Step 3 - Fit a piping bag with a star tip and and place rice pudding filling in the bag. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side.
PUMPKIN FILLING
- 1/2 cup (123 grams/4.34 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
- 1/2 cup (113 grams/4.04 ounces) mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup (122.5 grams/4.32 ounces) canned pumpkin, drained like ricotta
- 3/4 cup (75 grams/2.65 ounces) confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (approx. 1.7 grams/approx. 0.06 ounces) pumpkin pie spice (taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon (approx. 2 grams/approx. 0.08 ounces) pure vanilla extract
- 6-8 cannoli shells
Step 1 - In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta and mascarpone until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner's sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl, cover and chill until it firms up a bit. (The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).
Step 2 - Fill the shells as directed above. I dipped the ends of the shells in caramelized sugar and rolled them in toasted, chopped pecans.
Tips for Making Cannoli
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For those who don't like to cook or bake with alcohol - grape juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, apple juice..any sweet juice of a fruit, especially ones used in or to make wine, can be substituted. Just add a little more vinegar to insure you get enough acid to relax the dough.
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Variations: The filling is YOUR choice! Anything you want to fill them with is perfectly fine, sweet or savory, or you can use the filling recipe provided making whatever changes you want to it. Use apples, pecans, walnuts, any dried fruits etc. Dip the rims of the shell in melted chocolate and roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles, then let them set prior to filling. Dipping or pressing mini chocolate chips into the filled ends OR just stirring mini chocolate chips into the filling prior to stacking or filling.
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Dough must be stiff and well kneaded.
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Rolling the dough to paper thinness, using either a rolling pin or pasta machine, is very important. If the dough is not rolled thin enough, it will not blister, and good cannoli should have a blistered surface.
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Initially, this dough is VERY stubborn, but keep rolling, it eventually gives in. Before cutting the shapes, let the dough rest a bit, covered, as it tends to spring back into a smaller shapes once cut. Then again, you can also roll circles larger after they're cut, and/or into ovals, which gives you more space for filling.
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Your basic set of round cutters usually doesn't contain a 5-inch cutter. Try a plastic container top, bowl etc, or just roll each circle to 5 inches. There will always be something in your kitchen that's round and 5-inches if you want large cannoli.
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Oil should be at least 3 inches deep and hot. 360°F-375°F, or you'll end up with greasy shells. I prefer 350°F - 360°F because I felt the shells darkened too quickly at 375°F.
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If using the cannoli forms, when you drop the dough on the form into the oil, they tend to sink to the bottom, resulting in one side darkening more. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to gently lift and roll them while frying.
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DO NOT crowd the pan. Cannoli should be fried 2-4 at a time, depending on the width of your saucepan or deep fryer. Turn them once, and lift them out gently with a slotted spoon/wire skimmer and tongs. Just use a wire strainer or slotted spoon for flat cannoli shapes.
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When the cannoli turns light brown - uniform in color, watch it closely or remove it. If it's already a deep brown when you remove it, you might end up with a really dark or slightly burnt shell.
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Depending on how much scrap you have left after cutting out all of your cannoli shapes, you can either fry them up and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar for a crispy treat, or let the scraps rest under plastic wrap and a towel, then re-roll and cut more cannoli shapes.
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Push forms out of cannoli very gently, being careful not to break the shells as they are very delicate. DO NOT let the cannoli cool on the form, or you may never get it off without it breaking. Try to take it off while still hot. Hold it with a cloth in the center, and push the form out with a butter knife or the back of a spoon.
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When adding the confectioner's sugar do it to your taste. You may like it sweeter than what the recipe calls for, or less sweet, so add in increments.
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Fill cannoli right before serving! If you fill them an hour or so prior, you'll end up with soggy cannoli shells.
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If you want to prepare the shells ahead of time, store them in an airtight container, then re-crisp in a 350°F (180 °C) oven for a few minutes, before filling.
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Practice makes perfect. My first batch of shells came out less than spectacular, and that's an understatement. As you go along, you'll see what will make them more aesthetically pleasing, and adjust accordingly when rolling. My next several batches turned out great. Don't give up!!
Personal Note
"When you go to the hardware shop today, could you buy me some broom handles? I'm going to try and make a broomstick to fly on" I instant messaged Mr NQN. "You want a plastic or a wooden one?" he answered back within seconds. Yes the unflappable Mr NQN doesn't bat an eyelid at the suggestion that I want to learn how to fly on a broomstick. But I was joking of course, I needed the broomsticks to make Cannoli!
Lisa Michele is a lovely blogger friend and I was so excited to see that she was hosting this month's Daring Baker's challenge. After hosting the September challenge I understand how impossible it is to please everyone and I felt for Lisa when some people poopoohed the idea based on the cost of equipment or the dislike of deep frying. I dislike deep frying too but hey it's cannoli people. If there's one thing to break the rule for, it's pastry!
It turns out that my parents had an old clean broomstick that they cut up and gave to me. They're good that way and even they don't blink an eyelid at random strange requests like this:
"Hello Mother,
Do you guys have an old clean wooden broomstick or a stick. I need to make 4x 6-8inch wooden batons that are 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter and they suggest a wooden broomstick. It has to be wooden or metal as they need to be deep fried.
Bye,
Lorraine"
The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides..