Easy 5-Ingredient Cannolis Recipe - Baker by Nature (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional cannoli filling made of? ›

Traditionally, cannoli filling is a sweet, simple filling made with ricotta cheese and powdered sugar. We also use vanilla and a hint of cinnamon in our cannoli filling recipe.

THE BEST RICOTTA CHEESE:

A huge component of this Homemade Cannoli Cream is, of course, the delicious Galbani® Ricotta Cheese. This rich and creamy cheese can be found in your local market's dairy aisle and is the perfect cheese to use for a delicious and rich cannoli cream.

If the cannoli filling is too thin and runny, take two tablespoonfuls of the filling and place in a glass bowl. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

The crispy pastry shell is made with the usual suspects: flour, sugar, whole eggs, and butter. It's usually spiked with marsala, a fortified wine that adds distinct flavor and sweetness. The alcohol also helps tenderize the pastry, ensuring a pleasantly flaky finished product.

Chief among them is the type of milk used for each. The Italian version makes use of sheep's milk, while Italian-American cannoli employs cow's milk (leading to significant distinctions in taste and consistency).

Over time recipes have begun using powdered sugar as both the sweetener and to stabilize the watery ricotta, but this, in turn, makes the filling a grainy and overwhelmingly sweet pastry cream. To fix this dilemma, I use a mixture of ricotta, mascarpone, goat cheese with granulated sugar.

Eggs help bind the ricotta cheese, but if you don't have eggs on hand then it's OK to omit them. Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it doesn't ooze out of the casserole when you cut it. Basically, the egg helps all the cheesy goodness stay intact.

Mascarpone. For any sweet recipe, this is a great substitution – cannoli, tiramisu, cheesecake — the sky's the limit.

Optional Add Ins: you can change the flavors of the cannoli filling to your liking by adding in other mix ins such as cinnamon, candied fruit, or orange extract. Make Ahead: the ricotta cannoli filling can be made ahead. Just refrigerate for up to three days in an airtight container.

Drain the ricotta: One essential technique for achieving a thick and creamy cannoli filling is to drain the ricotta overnight in the refrigerator. Place the ricotta on paper towels to absorb excess moisture, which will help prevent a watery filling [1].

Why don t my cannoli shells have bubbles? ›

Proper thinness.

The dough should be rolled out quite thin, but not too thin. Too thick, and the shell will come out doughy or hard, and you're less likely to get those characteristic bubbles on the surface of the shell.

Worst: Cannoli

The filling is full of more fat and calories, in the form of ricotta cheese and sugar. Sprinkle the top with some powdered sugar for the final touch. Think of it as a "once-in-a-blue-moon" dessert.

A sour smell coming from the ricotta or the taste of stale oil from the shell is a sign that the cannoli needs to be discarded. And of course, evolving microbial colonies such as mold are definitive signs that the cannoli has gone bad.

We recommend two cannoli per person. Assortments can be customized with a one dozen minimum per flavor.

Here are a few distinctions: The Venetian shell is in a cylinder shape while the Sicilian shell looks like a bow tie wrap. While the Sicilian dough is deep-fried, the Venetian dough is baked. The traditional Venetian filling is made of heavy cream cheese mixed with vanilla bean.

Here's what you'll need for cannoli shells: All-purpose flour: You'll need 2 cups of flour for the pastry dough, and a bit more to flour your work surface as well. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the other flavors in the dough.

An All-Time Italian Classic dessert, the Cannoli

Everyone enjoys the crunchy shell, smooth and sweet Ricotta cheese, and rich chocolate chips from this Italian staple.

Puff Pastry Cannoli – flaky puff pastry shells filled with a sweet ricotta filling and topped with chocolate chips. Super simple to make and they taste amazing!! Puff pastry shells, heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract.