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Simple Homemade Cannoli

This is a fun dessert to make when you want to impress people but it's not as hard as it looks. Start by making the shells - just mix flour, sugar, and a bit of wine or vinegar, roll it thin, and fry around metal tubes. They get super crispy. The filling's even easier - mix ricotta cheese with sugar and maybe some chocolate chips or orange peel. Here's the trick though: don't fill the shells until right before eating or they'll get soggy. They're really good when they're fresh - all crunchy outside with that sweet, creamy filling inside. Makes you feel like you're at an Italian bakery, but you made them yourself.

Featured in Reliable Dessert Recipes.

Chef Zaho
Updated on Fri, 10 Jan 2025 16:54:33 GMT
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A plate of filled cannoli dusted with powdered sugar, featuring a creamy filling with chocolate pieces inside. Pin it
A plate of filled cannoli dusted with powdered sugar, featuring a creamy filling with chocolate pieces inside. | alicesrecipes.com

Make classic Italian cannoli at home. These treats have crispy, golden shells filled with sweet ricotta, cinnamon, and chocolate. Learn to make both shells and filling from scratch.

Why Make These

Make real Italian pastries in your kitchen. The mix of crunchy shell and rich filling tastes fresh and special. Great for parties or dessert at home.

Ingredients

  • Ricotta Cheese: Whole milk, strained overnight
  • Dark Chocolate: Finely grated
  • Sugar: Confectioners' type
  • Cinnamon: Ground
  • Candied Fruit: Optional
  • Flour: All-purpose
  • Salt: Just a pinch
  • Butter: Unsalted, cold
  • Eggs: For dough
  • Marsala Wine: For flavor
  • Egg White: For sealing dough
  • Oil: For frying
Three crispy cannoli filled with creamy ricotta and chocolate chips, dusted with powdered sugar, sit on a plate. Pin it
Three crispy cannoli filled with creamy ricotta and chocolate chips, dusted with powdered sugar, sit on a plate. | alicesrecipes.com

Instructions

Strain Cheese:
Put ricotta in cloth-lined strainer overnight in fridge.
Make Dough:
Mix flour, salt, sugar. Add cold butter, eggs, wine. Knead smooth. Chill 1 hour.
Roll Dough:
Roll thin on floured surface. Cut 3-inch circles.
Shape Shells:
Wrap circles on metal tubes. Seal edges with egg white.
Fry Shells:
Heat oil to 350°F. Fry until golden. Cool on paper towels.
Mix Filling:
Blend ricotta, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon. Put in piping bag.
Fill and Serve:
Fill shells just before eating. Dust with sugar.

About Cannoli History

Cannoli started in Sicily. The name means 'little tube' in Italian. The shells use Marsala wine, and the filling uses fresh ricotta. People add nuts, fruit, or chocolate for extra taste.

Making Perfect Shells

Roll the dough very thin for crispy shells. The wine helps make them crunchy. Takes practice to wrap them right, but worth the effort.

Tools You Need

Get metal cannoli tubes for shaping. Use a rolling pin or pasta roller for thin dough. Cheesecloth strains the ricotta. Piping bag fills shells neatly. Check oil heat with thermometer.

Different Ways to Make Them

Dip shell ends in melted chocolate. Roll in chopped nuts. Add almond flavor to filling. Try cherries or orange zest instead of chocolate. Make them your way.

Storage Tips

Make shells ahead, store in sealed box. Keep filling cold in fridge. Fill shells right before eating to stay crispy. Serve with coffee. Freeze unfilled shells and filling if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ How to get crispy shells?
  • Heat oil to 350°F
  • Don't crowd the pot
  • Fry till golden
  • Drain on paper towels
  • Let cool completely
  • Keep them dry
→ How to store extras?

Two parts:

  • Empty shells: box on counter, 1 week
  • Filling: fridge, 3 days
  • Don't store filled ones
  • They get soft
  • Keep separate
  • Fill when eating
→ Can I change the filling?

Sure:

  • Add vanilla
  • Try different chocolate
  • Mix in nuts
  • Add orange peel
  • Less sugar if you want
  • Keep it thick
→ How to stop shells getting soft?

Quick tips:

  • Fill right before eating
  • Keep filling cold
  • Don't overfill
  • Eat soon
  • No wet toppings
  • Keep filing thick
→ Can I make them ahead?

Yes:

  • Make shells early
  • Mix filling ahead
  • Keep separate
  • Fill last minute
  • Works great
  • Stays crispy

Conclusion

Like these? Try making:

  • Ricotta cheesecake
  • Chocolate ricotta tart

Both use the same sweet cheese but come out totally different.

Homemade Cannoli

Fresh, crispy cannoli you can make at home

Prep Time
45 Minutes
Cook Time
15 Minutes
Total Time
60 Minutes
By: Fati Zaho

Category: Desserts

Difficulty: Intermediate

Cuisine: Italian

Yield: 24 cannoli

Dietary: Vegetarian

Ingredients

01 12 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese.
02 2 ounces dark chocolate, finely grated, plus more for dusting.
03 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting.
04 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
05 3 ounces candied fruit, finely chopped (optional).
06 2 cups (256 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed.
07 Pinch salt.
08 3 tablespoons sugar.
09 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced.
10 2 eggs, beaten.
11 3 tablespoons Marsala wine.
12 1 egg white, lightly beaten mixed with 1 tbsp of water to make egg wash.
13 Oil for frying.

Instructions

Step 01

Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, line with cheesecloth, and add ricotta. Smooth cheese with the back of a spoon and allow to drain overnight in the refrigerator.

Step 02

Sift together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in eggs and Marsala wine, then knead the dough until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for an hour.

Step 03

On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch rounds. If dough resists, refrigerate briefly then continue.

Step 04

Wrap each dough round around a cannoli mold, sealing with egg wash.

Step 05

Heat oil to 350°F. Fry shells until golden. Cool on paper towels. Once cool, remove molds.

Step 06

Combine strained ricotta, grated chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, and candied fruit in a bowl. Mix well and transfer to a piping bag. Chill until used.

Step 07

Pipe or spoon filling into shells just before serving. Finish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and chocolate.

Notes

  1. Once filled, cannoli softens quickly; fill right before serving!.
  2. Store fried, unfilled shells in an airtight container for up to a week.
  3. Filled cannoli filling can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
  4. Cannoli shells can be frozen for about two weeks, though they may lose some crispness if stored longer.
  5. For freezing filling, use freezer-safe containers and re-mix if separation occurs.

Tools You'll Need

  • Cheesecloth.
  • Rolling Pin.
  • Cannoli forms.
  • 3-inch circle cutter.
  • Pastry bag.
  • Deep-frying thermometer.

Allergy Information

Please check ingredients for potential allergens and consult a health professional if in doubt.
  • Dairy.
  • Gluten.
  • Eggs.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: 119.6
  • Total Fat: 5.2 g
  • Total Carbohydrate: 18.1 g
  • Protein: 3.5 g