My youngest and I made cannolis on my birthday, it was a quiet afternoon at home for us, so we broke out the equipment and ingredients to make them. I revamped my recipe just a touch so I posted it here. It didn't take long, about 2 hours, to have these wonderful, crispy shells filled with delicious ricotta cream and chocolate chips. Feast your eyes on these babies, they are so good!
My daughter rolling and cutting the shape of the cannolis.
I wrap the tubes and fry the shells. With two people making them the process goes much faster.
Shells pulled off the tubes and cooling on racks.
Shells are cooled and one is filled, have to taste test it, uuummm delizioso!
Cannoli Recipe
Ingredients For The Cannoli Shells
3 cups of unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 9 small pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 egg, beaten, to seal the edges
2 quarts of canola oil for frying
Directions for the shells:
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the egg, egg yolk, Marsala wine, vinegar and water. Mix with a fork until the the dough becomes stiff, then finish it by hand, kneading on a clean flat surface. Add a bit more water if needed to incorporate all of dry ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes, shape into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours.
Divide the dough into thirds, flatten each one just enough to get through the rollers on a pasta machine. Roll the dough through the settings successively, until you have reached the thinnest setting. The sheet should be thin enough to almost see through it. Dust lightly with flour if necessary. Place the sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut, using a large round cookie cutter, a large glass, a small bowl, or make a paper form and cut by hand into 4 to 5 inch shapes. Wrap the dough around cannoli tube, seal the edge with the tip of your finger and a little bit of the beaten egg. Be careful not to get the egg on the tube, the shell will stick to it when frying.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer or deep heavy pan. Fry shells on the tubes a few at a time 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove from oil with tongs to a cooling rack. Remove the shells from the tubes with 2 sets of tongs, grabbing shell with one, and tube with the other and twisting it carefully. Reuse the tubes for the remainder of the dough. Cooled shells can be placed in an airtight container and kept for up to 2 months. Only fill the shells when you are ready to serve them. Makes about 32 - 35 shells.
Ingredients For The Cannoli Cream:
Cheesecloth
1 lb of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 lbs of mascarpone cheese
3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
6 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste
mini chocolate chips
Directions for the cream:
OVER NIGHT - Place a colander over a large bowl, and lay the cheesecloth inside the colander. Empty the ricotta cheese into the cheesecloth, gather up the ends and twist, and secure it with a twist tie. Place in the refrigerator to drain over night.
NEXT DAY - When ready to mix the cream, unwrap the ricotta and dump the cheese into the clean bowl of a food processor, discard the water. Add the mascarpone cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla bean paste. Process until blended. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag when ready to fill cannoli shells (see note). When shells are filled, dip each end of cannoli into mini chocolate chips. Makes enough cream for 32 - 35 shells.
NOTES:
1. Special equipment needed - cheesecloth, pasta machine, cannoli tubes
2. Do not fill the shells until you are ready to eat them.
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