Homemade Cannoli Recipe

A stack of homemade cannoli on a white plate.

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Cannoli Recipe

This is The Best Homemade Cannoli Recipe! The pastries are made with crisp and flaky fried shells and filled with a creamy and sweet ricotta filling, then dipped in mini chocolate chips. It's a classic Italian dessert that looks as good as it tastes and will impress everyone who tries it!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 50

Servings cannoli

Calories 89kcal

Author Ashley Amundsen

Equipment

Cannoli forms

Ingredients

Shells

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup white wine
1 egg

Filling

2 cups ricotta cheese drained
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips for garnish
powdered sugar for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Shells

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer on low until the mixture looks crumbly and no large clumps of butter remain, it should resemble coarse sand. Pour in the wine and the egg, then mix until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup white wine, 1 egg
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This step is really important. It relaxes the dough so it rolls out thin without springing back or tearing.
While the dough rests, add a few inches of vegetable oil to a large, heavy pot and heat over medium. Use a thermometer and bring the oil to 345-355°F. Keeping it at this temperature is the key to crisp, blistered shells, too cool and they turn greasy, too hot and they brown before they bubble.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out very thin, about 1/16 inch (you should almost be able to see your hand through it). Thin dough is what gives you that signature crunch. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles, gathering and re-rolling the scraps as you go.
Lightly grease your cannoli forms. Wrap a dough circle around each form, then brush a little egg white where the two edges overlap and press firmly to seal. The egg white acts as glue, so the shells don't unwrap in the hot oil.
Carefully lower each shell (still on its form) into the hot oil using metal tongs. Fry until deep golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Work in small batches, so you don't crowd the pot or drop the oil temperature.
Lift the shells out with metal tongs and set them on a paper towel-lined plate. Once they're cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to grip the hot form and gently slide the shell off. The forms will still be very hot, so be careful here.
Let the shells cool all the way before filling. Filling them while warm will soften them, and you'll lose that delicious crunch.

Filling

(Start this the night before.) Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and scoop in the ricotta. Set the strainer over a bowl, fold the cheesecloth over the top, and weigh it down with something heavy like a can. Refrigerate for 12 hours to draw out the excess liquid. Don't skip this step, well-drained ricotta is the difference between getting a thick, creamy filling and a runny mess.
2 cups ricotta cheese
In a bowl, stir together the drained ricotta, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with one corner snipped off).
¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly

Pipe the filling into one end of a shell until it reaches the center, then fill from the other end so it's evenly stuffed end to end. Fill the shells just before serving to keep them crisp.
Dip each open end into mini chocolate chips and dust the finished cannoli with a little powdered sugar.
mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar

Notes

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Cannoli does not store well as the shells get soggy, so it's best to enjoy this dessert right away.
If you don't plan on eating the cannoli right away, you can store the filling and shells separately and then assemble them right before consuming.

Nutrition