If I ever feel stumped in my search for new recipes to try, my son can come through with all sorts of things that I wouldn’t have thought of! This time it was cannolis – something I’d typically think of as a heavier winter weather treat, but why not now?
Cannoli weren’t as difficult or time consuming to make as I had envisioned. In my research, it is suggested to use a wooden dowel to fry the shells, but I used the handle end of a wooden spoon to dip the shells in to the oil and it worked well. I did make the shells a little too thick, so be sure you roll them as thin as you can – about 1/8″! Either way, they’ll taste great but it will be easier to fill them if you roll the dough thin.
Fun fact: Cannoli is the plural, and cannolo is the singular. I wasn’t aware of this previously and had typed in “cannolis.” Now you know!
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Other ingredients:
- Whisked egg for sealing dough before frying
- Vegetable for shortening – enough to fill a medium pot about half way
- Powered sugar for topping/presentation
Directions
Combine dough ingredients, preferably in your stand mixer and mix thoroughly until a dough firms that is not very sticky. Cover the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes. Flour your surface well and roll out the dough as thin as you can without tearing it – about 1/8″. Heat the vegetable shortening to 350 degrees, using a candy thermometer and carefully supervising the process for safety. Prepare a plate with paper towels to place the shells after frying. Cut out circles about 4″ in diameter and gently stretch them into ovals (I used a food storage lid as a cookie cutter – it was the perfect size!). Wrap the ovals longways on a wooden dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon, overlapping about a half inch in the middle and sealing with egg. Slowly lower each shell into the oil and fry until it is golden brown, turning when necessary. This should take 2-3 minutes. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to cool.
While the shells are cooling, mix the filling ingredients except chocolate chips thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips separately and stir just enough until combined. Pipe the filling into the cooled cannoli shells and enjoy! Store in the fridge in a sealed container.
2 COMMENTS
Samantha
7 years agoOh my gosh! Can I move in and eat all your creations?! These look SO delicious!
JessBee
7 years ago AUTHORAww, thanks Samantha! 😀