Best Cannoli Shells Recipes

CANNOLI SHELLS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Using a fork, blend in the white wine. When dough forms a ball, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
• Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep heavy skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees F). On a lightly floured surface, roll 1/3 of the dough out into a big circle as thin as paper. Cut into 8 (5-inch) circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli form, and seal with egg yolk.
• Fry 2 or 3 at a time until golden brown. remove with tongs to drain on paper towels. Carefully remove shells from forms while they are still hot, or they may become stuck.

CANNOLI SHELLS AND RICOTTA CREAM FILLING

Steps:

• Three or more days in advance of making the cannoli shells set the ricotta in a colander inside of a large bowl.
• Scrape the ricotta into the colander and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for two days, until it is dry.
• To make the dough for cannoli shells: In a small bowl put eggs.
• Beat eggs; add vanilla and ice water to eggs.
• In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon.
• Add the shortening and mix until crumbly.
• Make well in dry mixture and add wet mixture.
• Using your hands mix together, if it is dry, add more ice water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 3 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a flattened ball.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 to 60 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
• Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine or the dough can be rolled on a board with a rolling pin.
• Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep the pieces from sticking.
• Continue to pass the dough through the machine until you reach the last or second to last setting.
• You might need to run the dough through the pasta machine three times.
• The dough needs to be thin-about the same thickness as construction paper; cut the dough into 4 1/2 inch circles. (Giovanna's cannoli tubes are 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.).
• 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.
• Put a rack in the bottom of a large heavy kettle that you plan on putting your peanut oil into so that your cannoli shells do not touch the bottom and burn. (Giovanna uses a restaurant kettle that is about 18 inches in diameter.).
• Pour about 2 inches of oil in a smaller kettle. Giovanna used 4 quarts but her kettle is huge!
• Heat oil until a deep frying thermometer shows 375 degrees.
• Oil the cannoli tubes by placing them in the hot oil then draining them in a metal bowl (you need the oil on the tube so that later the cannoli shell will slip off easily).
• Lay the dough circle flat, center the tube on it, bring left edge onto tube, dab it with egg white, bring up right side of dough circle, dab it with egg white, and roll the tube; do not press the dough. You do not want the dough to be too tight on the tube, or you will have difficulty later getting your cannoli off. Be careful not to stretch the dough or pull it tightly. Avoid, as best as possible, getting egg white on the tube, or the cannoli will stick to it.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• 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.
• With tongs, remove the cannoli tubes, holding them straight up so that the oil flows back into the pan.
• Then drain the cannoli still on tube briefly in a metal bowl.
• While the cannoli shells are still hot, carefully slide the shells off the tubes by grasping each tube with a clean towel and gently twisting the cannoli shell off the tube with your other hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. On another work surface area, lay oilcloth or newspaper, topped with a large rack.
• When the cannoli shells are barely warm set them on top of the rack.
• It is important that the shells stay on the racks overnight.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough; set aside.
• The cannoli shells can be made up to 2 months before serving if you drain them properly overnight, and store them in sealed containers in a cool, dry place, but not in a refrigerator.
• To make the ricotta cream, put the thoroughly dry ricotta in a large mixing bowl with a wire whip and blend until creamy.
• Add the confectioners' sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon oil; blend until smooth.
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chocolate pieces. Store the ricotta cream in the refrigerator for 48 hours. After 48 hours, serve and freeze the rest.
• Frozen ricotta cream can be defrosted in the refrigerator later.
• To assemble, use a knife to push the ricotta cream into the cannoli shell.
• Place the cannoli on a serving platter and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
• Use within an hour.

CANNOLI SHELLS LIKE A PRO

Steps:

• Sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut shortening in with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. Stir in eggs. Blend in the vinegar and cold water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Add additional flour, if needed, to get a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. Set out 6 aluminum cannoli tubes. Heat oil in a deep saucepan to 360 degrees F.
• Cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard about 6x4-inches. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Place the cardboard pattern on dough and cut out as many as will fit on the dough. Wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite ends. Seal ends by brushing with egg white and pressing together.
• Fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded in the hot oil. Fry until light golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove cannoli shells to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly and remove the tubes. Cool shells completely. Continue forming and frying cannoli shells.
• Using a pastry bag or a small spoon, fill the shells with the filling from both ends. Do not fill the shells until up to an hour before serving, as the filling will make the shells soggy.
• Sprinkle ends with reserved chopped pistachio nuts and dust with confectioners sugar.

CANNOLI SHELLS

Steps:

• Mix together flour, shortening, salt and sugar.
• Add enough wine to make a stiff but workable dough.
• Roll dough into a ball and let it stand for about 1 hour.
• Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut rolled dough into 5x5 inch squares.
• Place a cannoli tube across dough square on an angle (from top left corner to bottom right corner).
• Wrap one corner around the tube, then the other (which should overlap the first).
• Press together to seal seam.
• Fry in deep fat, one at a time, until deep golden brown.
• Carefully remove fried cannoli shell from tube.
• Cool completely before filling.
• ***Cannoli tubes are usually made from sheet aluminum and should be 8 inches long by 1 inch in diameter.

CANNOLI FILLING AND SHELLS

Steps:

• 1. Shells: Into a bowl, sift flour with salt and sugar. Make a hole in the center of mixture and place egg plus the extra yolk and butter in hole. Stir with a fork, working from center out to moisten flour mixture. Add wine, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough begins to cling together. Use hands to form dough into a ball. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Roll dough out to 1/16 th inch thick and cut into 3 1/2 inch circles. Roll a circle into an oval and wrap around a metal or wooden form,sealing edge with some egg white. Fry in very hot deep fat about 1 minute until golden. Cool 5 seconds and remove from form. Repeat with all circles. --- Filling: Combine ingredients and fill a pastry bag with filling.(or heavy zip lock bag- cut hole in one corner). Then sprinkle them with powdered sugar. During the holidays I dip the ends in crushed candy canes or fill the cannoli with pistachio pudding. You can also stuff with anything you wish like- egg salad, tuna salad, crab salad, ice cream or pineapple fluff or any jello fluff. Tastes great filled with baked pumpkin custard whipped with Cool Whip, or just the pumpkin custard.

HOMEMADE CANNOLI SHELLS

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add cold butter, break and pinch with your fingers, mix until the mixture look like sand. And then add egg yolk (keep white egg for sealing) and white wine. Knead the dough in the bowl until mix well (not too long to knead). Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• 2. Spray cannoli molds with no stick cooking spray, flour the working surface and rolling pin. Knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Cut the dough into 2 parts. Roll the dough into 1/8-inch thick and use 4-inch cookie cutter to make circle shape. Repeat for second dough.
• 3. Heat the oil to 350⁰F in a medium heavy pot.
• 4. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold, seal and press the edge of circle with white egg (beaten).
• 5. Deep fry 2 cannoli molds at a time until golden and crisp, use tongs to remove from oil and drain in paper towel.
• 6. When the mold is not too hot, carefully remove the mold by using tongs in one hand and in other hand gently hold shell with paper towel, slide it off from the mold. Repeat with all circles.
• 7. Note: I have 16 cannoli molds, this is what I did: - work on first dough, roll and cut into 13-14 circles, wrap all circles around 13-14 cannoli molds and then deep fry 2 molds at a time. - after finish deep frying, take the molds off and start with second part of the dough

CANNOLI SHELLS - PIZZELLE IRON

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar, melted butter and oil. Stir in the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Then add the cold water and vinegar. Mix well until smooth.
• Pre-heat the pizzelle iron. Drop the cannoli batter 1 tablespoon at a time onto the iron, close lid and bake for 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully remove cookies and roll onto cylinders while they are hot. Allow to cool then remove from cylinder.
• Fill with your favorite cannoli filling. ENJOY!