How to Make Awesome Cannoli

Cannolis range in size from finger-sized to fist-sized.

Cannoli -- tubed-shaped sweets filled with a creamy cheese filling -- are a Sicilian dessert and a year-round staple throughout Italy. The shell is made of flour, sugar, wine, cinnamon and other ingredients. The cannoli filling consists of ricotta cheese, sugar and citron. Preparation is often a lengthy process, taking upwards of four hours to prepare, refrigerate and cook the dessert's various components.

Things You'll Need

• Shells:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1 egg white
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed
• Medium bowl
• Pasta machine (optional)
• Rolling pin
• Skillet
• Cannoli tubes
• Tongs
• Filling:
• 32 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup chopped candied citron
• Pastry bag
• Grated chocolate

Instructions

Shell Instructions

1. Mix 3 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix in 3 tbsp. of shortening until it appears as very small, pea-sized lumps.

2. Form a hole in the center of the mixture and add the egg, the egg yolk, 1/2 cup of Marsala wine, 1 tbsp. of vinegar and 2 tbsp. of water. Mix with a fork until the dough is stiff.

3. Knead the dough on a clean surface. Add two 2 tbsp. of water to thoroughly mix the dry ingredients. Continue kneading for 10 minutes and then cover. Refrigerate the dough for approximately one to two hours.

4. Divide the dough into three sections and flatten each section. You can flatten the dough by rolling it through a pasta machine. If you don't have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin. You'll want the dough to be about 1 cm thick.

5. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out 5-in. circles. Lightly dust the circles with flour.

6. Roll the dough around the cannoli tubes. These tubes are the molds that will allow the dough to assume the proper form and shape. Seal the edges with a small amount of egg white.

7. Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep and heavy skillet. Fry each shell on the tube for about three minutes or until golden. Remove the shells and place them on a cooling rack.

8. Cool the tubes until you can handle them. Separate the shells from the tubes by carefully twisting the tubes until the shells slide free.

Filling Instructions

1. Stir together 32 oz. of ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar with a spoon to make the filling. Add chopped citron and chocolate and stir until thoroughly mixed.

2. Place the filling in a pastry bag. Fill the shells with the filling immediately or an hour before serving. Fill each shell from the center to one end on each side.

3. Dust the shells with confectioners' sugar and grated chocolate.

Tips & Warnings

• Use grated orange and lemon zest if you cannot find citron.

• Use tongs to carefully remove shells and reduce the risk of an oil burn.

References

• Cooks.com; Cannoli
• AllRecipes.com; Cannoli Recipe