Italian Cannoli Recipe

5 from 83 votes

Italian Cannoli Recipe

Everyone remembers their first cannoli. Some never want another, while those of us who love the flavor, texture, and creamy deliciousness will always be able to tell you where they had their first cannoli.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian, Italian - American

Servings:

Calories: 331kcal

Ingredients

Cannoli

12 cannoli shells
16 oz whole milk ricotta
8 oz mascarpone
½ cup granulated sugar superfine grain or pulse in food processor
2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup mini chocolate chips or chocolate chopped into small pieces

Cannoli Toppings

⅓ cup pistachios roughly chopped
chocolate melted over double boiler -optional

Instructions

Cannoli Cream

Using an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone in a large bowl until creamy (1-2 minutes).
Add the ricotta cheese, superfine granulated sugar (castor sugar), lemon zest (or orange zest), and vanilla extract to the mascarpone
.Mix by hand until well combined. Don’t overmix.
Fold the mini chocolate chips into the ricotta mixture, mixing just enough to combine.

Cannoli Assembly

This step is optional:
Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Add one inch of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and place the bowl with the chocolate over the top of the saucepan.
Stir until the chocolate is melted.
Dip one end of the cannoli shell into the melted chocolate and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.
When the chocolate has hardened, fill the cannoli shell with the filling using a pastry bag or a spoon. Make sure to fill the entire shell, don't leave an empty space in the middle
Dip one end of the cannoli into the chopped pistachios.
I usually don't add pistachios to the chocolate-dipped cannoli, but it's entirely up to you.
For a simpler topping, dust the filled cannoli with powdered sugar. That was how I was served my first cannoli.

Notes

*Cannoli can be prefilled and refrigerated for 2-3 hours. After that, they will start to get soggy.

*Leave a pastry bag filled with cannoli filling in the refrigerator and fill the cannoli when you're ready to serve.

*You can make the filling without mascarpone, using only ricotta cheese.

*If the ricotta is loose, it should be strained overnight to remove the excess liquid.

Nutrition