Cannoli (Shell and Filling Recipes)

Cannoli!! This recipe makes a crisp and flaky cannoli shell enclosing a lusciously creamy, sweet ricotta filling which is dotted with decadent dark chocolate chips. In other words, pure dessert bliss! These homemade Italian pastries may require a little more effort than some other desserts but they are well worth it!

Looking for more cannoli inspired desserts? Try these flavors in my cannoli cupcakes, dip, cheater cones, ice cream, cream puffs, and bite size treats!

These cannoli taste just like the best ones I’ve gotten at Italian bakeries! They have the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

The cannoli shells are perfectly tender and flaky, like a flake away in your mouth kind of texture.

The ricotta cannoli filling is rich and deliciously sweetened, and those little flecks of mini dark chocolate chips swirled throughout just amp up that already immensely satisfying flavor.

But if you still want to boost flavor you can add extra cinnamon, orange zest, maraschino cherries, or vanilla to the filling. And optionally finish by dipping ends in crunchy pistachios.

Don’t be scared away by the number of steps in this recipe, the first time will likely go slow but once you get the hang of it these cannoli will become a breeze to prepare. And they may even become a new holiday or party tradition!

These delectable Italian delicacies are truly worth learning to make!

Ingredients Needed to Make Cannoli Shells

• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Marsala wine
• Egg and egg white
• Vegetable oil

Ingredients Needed to Make Cannoli Filling

• Whole milk ricotta
• Powdered sugar
• Mini chocolate chips
• Cinnamon
• Pistachios (optional)

Special Equipment Needed:

• food processor
• rolling pin and metal tongs
• 4-inch round or oval cookie cutters
• cannoli forms (I have these)
• piping bag and large round tip (or a gallon size ziploc bag with a snipped corner will work too)

How to Make Cannoli Shells

1. Mix dry ingredients in a food processor.
2. Pulse in butter.
3. Add marsala wine and egg and pulse to bring together.
4. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover and rest dough.
5. Heat oil in pot.
6. Roll dough out very thin on a floured surface.
7. Cut into rounds or ovals (about 4-inches each).
8. Wrap rounds around greased cannoli forms, brush top or bottom edge with egg white to seal shut.
9. Fry in preheated oil until golden brown and crisp, about 1 – 2 minutes.
10. Remove cannoli shells and drain on paper towels.
11. Remove shells from forms, let forms cool and repeat process.
12. Make cannoli filling.
13. Let shells cool completely then fill with cannoli filling.

Can I Make the Dough without a Food Processor?

Yes, mixture can also be made by hand. To do so:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Cut butter into dough using a pastry cutter or fork.
3. Mix in egg and marsala wine with a wooden spoon. Add more wine to bring together.
4. Knead briefly to a shaggy ball. Proceed with resting and frying as directed.

Cannoli

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A classic Italian pastry recipe. With this cannoli recipe you get a perfectly crisp flaky shell and a rich and creamy, deliciously sweet ricotta filling. 

Servings: 28 cannoli

Prep Time40 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Chill Time45 minutes

Total Time1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

Shells

• 1 3/4 cups (250g) unbleached all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (18g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter, diced into small pieces
• 1/3 cup marsala wine*, then more as needed
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• Vegetable oil or shortening, for frying (about 8 cups)

Filling

• 32 oz. whole milk ricotta, strained**
• 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar***
• 3/4 cup (126g) mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon****
• Chopped unsalted pistachios, optional

Instructions

For the Cannoli Shells

1. To a food processor add flour, sugar and salt. Pulse in short bursts about 10 times. Add butter and pulse in short bursts just until there aren't clumps of butter.
2. Add in marsala wine and whole egg. Pulse to mix well, while adding additional wine to bring dough together in a soft shaggy mass (you shouldn't need more than a few Tbsp extra wine).
3. Shape into a round, transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
4. Heat a large pot with 1 1/2-inches vegetable oil to 345 - 355 degrees. Working with half the dough at a time (and keeping other half covered in the bowl) roll dough out very thinly onto a well floured surface (nearly 1/16-inch).
5. Using a 3 1/2 to 4-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Spray cannoli forms with cooking spray then wrap individual dough circles around each cannoli form, while brushing about 3/4-inch of one end lightly with egg white (use a pastry brush or just your fingertip). Press edge to to opposite side.
6. Using metal tongs, carefully immerse shell in preheated oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 1 - 2 minutes (be sure to watch oil temp so oil doesn't get too hot and burn shells. You can fry up to 6 at a time).
7. Remove from oil using metal tongs to grasp the cannoli shell (let oil from inside forms drain back into pot), transfer to paper towels to drain. Use metal tongs to hold mold (or folded layers of paper towels) and wrap a paper towel around shell to carefully slide off of form.
8. Let forms cool and repeat process with remaining dough circles. You can shake excess flour from scraps, press back together, cover in bowl and let relax at least 10 minutes then reuse.
9. Allow to cool on a wire rack then fill with cannoli filling and decorate as desired (with melted chocolate on edges, chopped pistachios, mini chocolate chips or dust tops with powdered sugar).

For the Cannoli Filling

1. In a mixing bowl fold and stir together strained ricotta, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and cinnamon. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe filling into cooled cannoli shells.

Recipe Notes

• *Dry or sweet marsala wine can be used. Marsala wine can be replaced with 1/4 cup grape juice or water and 1 Tbsp vinegar, then add more juice as needed.
• **I like to use a brand of ricotta that's not runny (such as Galbani), then I spread across paper towels, cover with more paper towels and press out some of the extra moisture and roll up, then unroll and drop into bowl. For wetter ricotta here is a link that shows two straining methods.
• ***1 cup granulated sugar can be substituted for powdered sugar just be sure to stir enough to dissolve granulated sugar.
• ****Cinnamon can be omitted or doubled. Different regions of Italy make cannoli differently so go with what you like. Orange zest, chopped maraschino cherries, or vanilla extract/vanilla bean can also be added to the filling.