Italian-made cannoli can be counted among my all-time favorite desserts in this world to create a sweet ending for a pasta dinner. I had my fair share of them on my trips to Italy, and I have enjoyed pretty decent cannoli at both Mike’s and Modern in the North End of Boston. It’s quite a project to make them at home, but if you enjoy cooking then you’ll probably enjoy the process as much as I did.
Tips for making cannoli:
Vanilla extract may be substituted for the Grand Marnier. Metal cannoli tubes can be ordered online, but they can also be found in well-stocked cooking stores. You will need a deep fry thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. A pasta rolling machine isn’t a must to make the cannoli dough, but it makes it much easier to get nice, thin dough. Cannoli shells can be made a day or two in advance. Store in a sealed plastic container. Flavor will make a difference if you use really good quality ricotta and mascarpone cheese. If you cannot locate mascarpone cheese, you can substitute cream cheese. And, if you want to make this really, really easy… purchase some ready-made cannoli shells at a good Italian deli, and fill them with this delicious filling.
How to make Homemade Cannoli:
The full, printable instructions are at the end of this post. The making of the cannoli dough is a snap. Just combine the ingredients together, form into a ball and refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours. At this point, you can make the filling too. My filling consisted of fresh ricotta and imported mascarpone cheese from our city’s Little Italy. Hint: you can find mascarpone cheese at your local market! The cheeses are mixed with Grand Marnier, cinnamon and powdered sugar. The filling should also chill for a while. I really, really wanted to use authentic wooden dowels to make the cannoli shells. And by authentic, I mean cutting up my own wood, sanding it down, seasoning it and frying the shells wrapped around the wood. I didn’t get around to doing that. So I bought the metal cannoli tubes, which was a fine alternative. At this point, you can prepare the oil. Pour it into a deep sauté pan (a couple of inches), dip your metal cannoli tubes into the cold oil and let them drain on a rack. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. I used my cast iron pan. Be careful with the temperature. If it’s too hot, the shells will burn, and if it’s too cool the cannoli will turn out soft and greasy. Divide the chilled dough into 4 pieces. Roll out one piece at a time on a floured surface. You can roll out the dough by hand, but if you have a pasta machine, you might have better luck with getting the dough as thin as you need it. I rolled out the dough first and then ran it through the pasta attachment on my KA Mixer. The first few times it will come out looking kind of cruddy. Keep folding it and running it back through until it comes out smooth and thin. The #4 setting on my KA attachment was perfect for me.
You’ll need to cut out circles that are about 4-inches in diameter. I used an oh-so-fancy plastic container. Don’t worry about the scraps. They can be re-rolled many times. The dough is very easy to work with. Just add flour if it starts getting sticky. Wrap the dough gently around the oiled cannoli tube. Brush on a little bit of egg white to seal the edges.
Check the temperature of your oil to make sure it’s darn near 350 degrees (trust me). Lower the cannoli gently in the hot oil and let sizzle until golden brown and crispy (about 2 minutes). Remove the fried cannoli shells to a rack to let cool and drain for a few minutes. I folded up a paper towel and wrapped it around the metal part while I gently urged the shell off of the tube. I didn’t have any problems with the shell sticking to the tubes. The shells can be made up to a couple of days in advance. Just make sure they’re kept in a covered container and they should stay nice and crispy. Place the filling in a piping bag or a large zip baggie with the corner snipped. It does not have to look fancy since you’re just going to be dipping the edges in something decorative. Hold the shell in one hand and pipe the filling in the other. Be gentle- the shells will be somewhat delicate. Don’t fill your shells until a few hours before serving. If you fill them too far ahead, the shells will begin to absorb the moisture from the filling and lose their crunch. Dip the edges in mini chocolate chips (or chopped pistachios, candied orange peel, etc… get creative!).
Sift powdered sugar on top to finish them off. Enjoy! Notes: *This is not an easy project and it is time-consuming, but I do have to say that it is fun. It’s a good learning experience and something I’m glad I experienced. I made two batches of the cannoli shells. The first shells I made were a bit too thick and not quite crispy enough. With the second batch, I made sure to roll the dough very thin, and I cooked the shells for a full two minutes- much better!
