Ingredients
for the shells:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1 egg white
- Vegetable oil for frying
for the filling:
- 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight and squeezed dry
- 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- Melted chocolate chips for dipped ends
Instructions
- For the shells, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight.
- Cut the dough into 2 pieces and keep half of the dough covered while you work. On a floured counter, roll the dough super think – about 1/16 to 1/8″ thick (an area of about 13″x18″). Cut out circles with a cutter or glass (depending on what size you want your cannolis) and distort the shape a little to make ovals.
- Oil the outside of the cannoli forms and wrap the ovals of dough around the forms, sealing the edges with the egg white.
- In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3″. Heat the oil to 375 degrees and have a tray lined with paper towels ready to go.
- Carefully lower a few of the cannoli forms into the hot oil (do not crowd the pan). Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes ,turning them so they brown evenly.
- Lift the cannoli form with a set of tongs or a slotted spoon and allow excess oil to drip down before transferring to a the tray.
- Repeat with remaining dough and if you’re reusing the cannoli forms, I ran them under cold water in a collinder so they were cool enough to handle again
- You can store the shells in an airtight container for a up to a few days before filling (you want to fill them right before you serve them so the shells don’t get soggy!)
- Melt chocolate in a deep dish and dip ends of shells. Place on a parchment paper-lined tray until ready to fill.
- For the filling, cream together the ricotta, mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Fit a pastry bag with a medium-sized star tip and fill cannoli forms as desired.
Recipe and Photo Courtesy of ericasweettooth / CC BY-NC-SA