Best Cannoli With Amaretto Filling Recipes

5-INGREDIENT CANNOLIS

Steps:

• Place the ricotta cheese into a fine mesh strainer and place it in the fridge to drain for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

CANNOLI

Steps:

• For the shells:
• Into a bowl sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. With your fingers, work the wine gradually into the dry ingredients to form a stiff dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. With a cutter, cut out rounds 5-inches in diameter. In batches, as necessary, wrap each round onto a cannoli mold, sealing the edges with egg white.
• In a deep saute pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• Fry the cannoli in batches until just golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, let cool, then gently slip the molds from the cannoli. (Note: Shells can be made 3 days in advance and kept at room temperature in an airtight container.)
• For the filling:
• In a mixing bowl whip the cream. Fold in the ricotta with a rubber spatula, working until creamy. Fold in the sugar, nut liqueur, and dates.
• Place 1 cannoli shell on a flat surface. Working from either end, fill the cannoli with the ricotta filling (using a pastry bag, if desired), pressing gently to ensure that the middle is filled. Dip both ends in the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios and place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cannoli, and serve.

CANNOLI WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir ricotta cheese with 1 cup confectioners sugar until combined. Add almonds, chocolate chips and almond liqueur.
• Carefully spoon into cannoli shells (or pipe from a pastry bag), filling from the center out.
• Sprinkle individual serving plates with powdered sugar and cocoa, or sprinkle on cannoli. Garnish plates with cherries.

CANNOLI FILLED WITH PISTACHIO RICOTTA

Steps:

• Soak the dried cranberries in the amaretto in a small bowl for 30 minutes.
• Combine the ricotta and sugar in a small bowl and whip until smooth. Add the mascarpone and stir to incorporate. Be careful not to overmix, or the mascarpone might separate. Fold in the pistachios and dried cranberries with their soaking liquid.
• Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe the mixtrue into the cannoli shells. If you don't have a pastry bag, put the filling into a plastic bag, snip off 1 corner, and squeeze the filling out into the pastry shells. (Do this close to serving time so the shells won't lose their crispness.) Refrigerate until serving time.
• To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar, using a sieve. Serve chilled.
• Prepare a sanitizing solution of 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon of household bleach.
• Rinse a large stainless steel or enameled stockpot or soup pot with the sanitizing solution and pour the milk and cream into the pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring as necessary with a sanitized spoon so the milk doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the lemon juice. Continue stirring slowly until the milk curdles and white curds float to the top. Remove from the heat and cover. Wait for 5 minutes while the curds solidify slightly and become firmer.
• Rinse a colander and a large piece of muslin or several layers of cheesecloth in the sanitizing solution. Wring out the cloth to release the excess water. Line the colander with the cloth and set the colander in the sink or over a large bowl.
• Using a sanitized perforated spoon, gently ladle the curds into the colander. Let the whey drain for 30 minutes, or until the ricotta is still moist but fairly dry.
• After about 15 minutes, lift the edges of the cloth toward the center of the colander to loosen the cheese from the cloth and facilitate draining. If the ricotta is still too liquid and runny in texture after 30 minutes, gather the edges of the cloth together using 1 hand, wrap a piece of kitchen string around the gathered cloth to form a bag, and tie it closed. Hang the bag containing the cheese from the faucet or the handle of a kitchen cabinet door and allow the excess whey to drip from the bag into the sink or a bowl.
• If adding salt, transfer the ricotta to a sanitized bowl and stir in the salt. Place the ricotta in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Use within 5 days.
• Yield: 3 1/4 cups
• Cut the egg roll wrappers into circles 4 inches in diameter. Roll the wrappers around mold or pieces of aluminum tubing that are 1-inch in diameter and 4 1/2 to 5 inches in length. Moisten the overlapped flap of dough with water to seal each wrapper.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking, about 350 degrees F. Add the shells, still on the tubing, and fry, turning with tongs as necessary, until golden brown and cripsy on all sides. Remove immediately, using tongs, and stand the tubing on end on paper towels to drain. When cool, slip the cannoli shells off of the tubing.
• Yield: 8 large or 12 mini cannoli shells