Homemade Cannoli
My first encounter with a cannoli goes back to the 1980’s when we had large (and loud) family Sunday suppers. The older generation of grandparents, great aunts and uncles that immigrated to Brooklyn were still living and cannoli were always a key part of any large family get together. Someone would always show up with a neatly packaged box from Circo’s Bakery, tightly bound with string. On more rare occasions my Nonna would make them in her small kitchen in Bushwick, assembling them on the limited space she had on her bright orange Formica countertops.
A freshly filled cannoli is decadent in all the right ways. It’s is a sublime textural experience that I never dreamed I could create myself. The thought never even crossed my mind. There were several trips to Sicily where I’d experience some of the best cannolis I’ve ever had. And then, a few years later, as I began revisiting old family recipes and food traditions I decided it was time to give it a try. The first attempt was a disaster. The shells exploded in the hot oil and the taste wasn’t quite right. But after a lot of trial and error I arrived at a recipe that I’d be proud to share with my Nonna.
While it’s definitely not an easy or quick thing to make - great homemade cannoli can be had if you’re patient and careful about the details. The process requires a few key tools; a hand cranked or electric pasta roller, circular punch forms, and cannoli tubes (I use aluminum ones). Video about the process below.
The Cannoli Cream
Traditional cannoli cream uses a sheep’s milk ricotta which I prefer - if I can get my hands on it. Any other high fat unpasteurized milk will work. Or if you want to cut some corners or are tight on time you can start off with any decent premade ricotta. Skip the low fat stuff, you’re making cannoli.
3 cups of drained ricotta (I will be posting a recipe for this soon)
1.3 cups of confectioner’s sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
Orange Zest
Using a hand or stand mixer, whip together these ingredients for a few minutes until well incorporated. Transfer from a bowl to a piping bag and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
The Shells
This is part that can easily go wrong and where you need to have a zen mindset. This recipe makes about 45 small to medium sized shells.
1.5 cups of all purpose Flour
.5 tsp cinnamon powder
1.5 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp white sugar
.5 tsp salt
3 tbsp cubed and chilled butter
2 tbsp Marsala
.5 tsp white vinegar
.25 cup of water
1 egg (for the wash)
Heat a neutral, high heat oil to 350F in a deep pot or fryer.
In stand mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in wet ingredients (except the egg) and continue to blend for a few minutes. Mixture will be somewhat crumbly. Remove from the bowl and pour out onto a large working surface.
Knead with your hands for 5 - 10 minutes until you have a mostly smooth and homogenous ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the plastic and cut into about 5 smaller pieces. Flour the dough balls gently. Pass each ball through the pasta maker, going from the widest setting down about 6 settings. Be slow and methodical, and don’t skip any steps.
Lay each sheet of dough out on your work surface and gently flour again. Using your circular punch out form, cut circles and save all of the excess dough which you’ll use for one final pass through the pasta maker.
Carefully and tightly wrap/roll each cut circle around the cannoli tube, and seal the edge with your egg wash. Be extremely careful not to let egg get all over the place. Avoid getting the egg on the cannoli tube or the dough will end up sticking to the tube while frying. Clean up any egg that gets on your work surface.
When the oil temperature has reached 350F, drop each tube into the oil and fry until golden. Using tongs, turn the cannoli in the oil so they cook evenly. This should take only about 1 minute.
Transfer to a rack lined with paper towels and carefully slide the shells off of the tubes while it’s still hot. You’ll want to use more paper towels so you don’t burn your fingers.
The tubes should be wiped down, and chilled in the refrigerator for just 1 - 2 minutes before starting the next round of shells. This avoids a lot of mess ups.
The finishing touches
Once the shells have completely cooled you can start filling the cannoli. This is made easier as a two person task and makes for a fun family activity, but is manageable by one person if necessary. Using the piping bag, fill each shell starting with the center and working outwards. Nothing worse than a cannoli with a big empty pocket of air in the middle. Once completely filled, you can garnish with whatever you like. Traditional toppings include candied fruit, crushed pistachio, or chocolate chips. When the cannoli are all dressed up and ready to go, you can give them all a final dusting of confectioner’s sugar. They should be eaten fresh as they start to lose their textural appeal if they sit around too long and get soggy.
Nonno and Nonna in Brooklyn in the 1970’s.