Homemade Cannoli

Cannoli are the tubular pastry kings of Italian-American bakeries. All dressed up with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and sprinkled with chocolate and pistachios, they’re a crunchy, dreamy handheld dessert that will always steal the show. In developing this recipe, I’ve adapted some of the dough techniques from our Senior Food Editor, Makinze Gore. The cannoli shell is outrageously tender and crispy from the butter and white wine. The cream is sweet and thick with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. The most important element to making cannoli cream, according to my research, is using two styles of ricotta: impastata and whole milk.

As I’ve learned more about my heritage and its native language, I have so many feelings about cannoli and how it’s pronounced. So in teaching you the proper semantics let’s stick with cannolo when referring to 1 and cannoli when talking about 2 or more. Here’s how to make the best cannolo you’ll ever make.

How To Make Homemade Cannoli

INGREDIENTS

The Shells

• All-Purpose Flour: King Arthur, Gold Medal, or Pillsbury are usually the brands I use. There’s no need to use bread flour or 00 flour for the shells.
• Granulated Sugar: Cannoli dough is similar to pie dough; it only needs a little sugar. The remaining sugar in the recipe gets whipped into the cheese. Sugar draws moisture and will break down the stiff impastata (a firmer type of ricotta containing less liquid than whole milk), eventually dissolving. Some variations of cannoli recipes use powdered or confectioners sugar instead. Be aware of additional thickening agents.
• Kosher Salt: You can’t have sugar without balancing it with salt. Use kosher salt in the dough and cream. The salt may aid in dough elasticity, but overall, it’s there for flavor.
• Cinnamon: One of the classic flavors of cannoli comes from cinnamon. But keep in mind you don’t want the shell to be entirely cinnamon-forward; it should only be a hint.
• White Wine: Moisture helps create air bubbles, and acid from the wine will aid in tenderization of the dough.
• Egg White: Cannoli dough has egg in it for the binding factor it lends. This is a dough that needs structure so it doesn’t fall apart when rolling, molding, and frying. I only use the egg white and reserve the egg yolk for the wash on top.
• Butter: Just as you would work butter into flour to make pie dough, you’re doing the same with cannoli dough. Leave the butter in larger pieces so when the shells fry, the butter melts and releases moisture, which will result in the iconic bubbles.
• Vegetable Oil: Any vegetable or canola oil will be great for frying. Monitor the oil with a thermometer and keep it between 350° and 360°.

The Filling

• Ricotta Impastata: I used the brand Liuzzi in testing. If you don’t have access to an impastata, you can drain whole milk ricotta (Galbani is my go-to) over a fine-mesh strainer for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Whole Milk Ricotta: For the whole milk ricotta, I recommend Galbani for its small curd. The mouthfeel should be very smooth. Breakstone is a good option too.
• Vanilla: The backdrop to many desserts is a hint of vanilla. Use the best kind you can get your hands on. And I’m not opposed to a little vanilla bean instead of extract to really wow.
• Orange Zest: Citrus is optional but not uncommon in cannoli. The zest can be folded right into the cream.
• Mini chocolate chips, crushed pistachios & confectioners’ sugar: In my opinion, the most iconic add-ons are these three things. Fold the chips into the cream or dip the ends of the filled cannoli into them. Pistachios are typically finely chopped and sprinkled on along with the confectioners’ sugar.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

If you have a stand mixer, great; otherwise, you can use a handheld one to beat your cream mixture. Make sure to beat both types of ricotta with the sugar for a couple minutes on low speed so the sugar has a chance to dissolve and pull out some moisture from the ricotta impastata. You’ll add your flavorings here too. I always use ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. You can add orange zest if you love a little citrus moment.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag, snip the end, and place in the fridge in a covered container until ready to use. You can also leave the mixture in a covered glass bowl until ready.

You’ll use a large bowl to combine your dry ingredients. (I like the bowl to be big enough so I can knead in it as well.) Add the cold butter and break up the pieces into small peanut size rounds. Add your liquid ingredients and mix with a fork, wooden spoon, or your hands. Do not overmix. I like this dough to be on the tender side. So think of it like a tender pie or biscuit dough. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes into a round disk and cover with plastic or place in a zip-top bag to chill before rolling.

Lightly flour a clean surface and begin to roll the disk. I roll from the center out in each section trying to maintain some uniformity around the circumference. Make sure the dough is even and pretty thin around the edges. You can also cut the dough in half before rolling if you don’t have a large cutting board or counter space.

Once you’ve reached 1/8" thick, cut the dough into 12 (5") circles. Sometimes the dough contracts and you will have to stretch each piece a little after cutting. Wrap the dough around the molds (no greasing necessary), and use a little egg wash on the flap of the dough already touching the mold. Fold the other flap over and press down to seal. Don’t press too hard or else the shell will stick and break when trying to remove after frying. You’ll have to do this in a few batches if you only have 6 molds. Just make sure the molds are completely cooled and wiped with a clean dry paper towel before wrapping the next piece of dough. You should only roll the dough out 2 times. You don’t want to overwork it.

Once your frying oil comes to temp, depending on how big your pot is, you can fry 3, 4, 5 pieces at a time. Do not overcrowd; use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. When you add anything to frying oil, the temperature will drop. You might have to fluctuate between medium-low to medium to maintain 350°. The cannoli may need to be pushed around a little so they're evenly browned on all sides. Remove with tongs or a spider to a wire rack.

Once the cannoli shells have cooled—it’s okay if they’re still a little warm—use a clean towel to take the shells off the mold. Let cool completely and fill. Make sure to start from the center of one side, add pressure, and push out. Do the same on the other side. Decorate with garnishes.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How do I thicken cannoli filling? Getting the consistency of the cannoli filling is important. Start by draining your ricotta. Place the ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer and set strainer over a larger bowl. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably 2. How much liquid drains out will depend on the quality of your ricotta. The higher the quality, the less liquid. Even if just a little strains out, it will help in the long run. Another important step is letting the filling chill. We like to make our filling first and let it hang out in the refrigerator until we are ready to serve the cannoli. The longer it's in there, the better.
• Can I make cannoli ahead of time? Most fried treats are best straight out of the fryer. Cannoli are a great exception to the rule though! The shells can fried up to a day ahead of time. Let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. They hold their crispness well and it's a great to not have to fry right before guests are coming over. You can also make your filling ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Wait to fill your cannoli until you are ready to serve them. If you prefer to fry the shells right before to ensure extra crispy shells (same), you can still get ahead by making your dough and keeping it refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• How do I make crispy cannoli shells? Three important things to make sure your shells are extra crispy: Make sure your butter is extra cold when making the dough and make sure your frying oil is heated to 350°. Cold butter will help give your shells layers ensuring the shells are crispy and flaky! After making your dough let it chill until that butter is nice and cold again before rolling them out, at least 1 hour, but longer is better. Having your oil at the right temp, in this case 350°, is crucial. If your oil is lower than that, the shells will take much longer to fry which will cause them to soak in more oil and making the shells softer and less crisp. Too hot and you risk burning the outside of the shells. Hitting that sweet spot will ensure crispy, flaky shells! Ideally you want crackly thin bubbles to form on the outer surface of the shells. Moisture and dough thinness are important. I ask you to roll the dough to 1/8" thin, but if you feel it’s not thin enough, go a touch further. The dough has a mind of its own and may bounce back slightly after cutting.
• When should I fill the cannoli? You should only fill a cannoli as you’re about to serve or eat it. Cannoli filling will make the shell soggy.

Storage

The cannoli dough can be made, chilled, rolled out, and stored between pieces of parchment in the refrigerator overnight. You can shape and fry them the next day.

Whatever you do, store the fried shells in an airtight container or plastic bag unfilled. The cream will hold up to 5 days as long as the expiration date on the cheese is longer. Fill the cannoli when serving.