Cannoli

Have Some Fun, Eat a Cannoli
Cannoli are as much fun to make as they are to eat. The crisp shell that embraces the sweet creamy cheese filling is as flavorful as it is decorative and the filling itself can inspire the most dedicated dessert lover. These delicious tubes can be filled with vanilla or chocolate filling and garnished with everything from powdered sugarto chocolate sauce and crushed nuts.
Cannoli is Italian for “little tube” and that’s just what this dessert is: a little pastry tube filled with cheese. The tubes can be as large or as small as your little finger. Cannoli is usually served during the holidays but, because cannoli filling doesn’t involve cooking, cannoli can be served at any time of year.
You can buy cannoli shells at most specialty stores in a variety of sizes. The recipe to make your own is below, you will need a shell mold to make them


I’m Filling Sooo Good
Once you have your cannoli shells, you need to fill them with something. They can be filled with vanilla cream or chocolate cream. If you like, you can make some of each cream and fill one side of the shell with chocolate and the other side with vanilla. All of these options can be considered an authentic cannoli recipe and even using mascarpone cheese instead of ricotta cheese can be considered authentic.
Be sure to drain your ricotta cheese well before making your filling.
Ingredients
2 pounds of drained ricotta cheese
1 ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar
½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (if you want chocolate filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla real or extract (if you want vanilla)
Unsalted not died crushed pistachio nuts
You can also add some mini chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a stand mixer.
2. Mix until smooth.
3. Fill a piping bag with the filling, or a large zip plastic bag, cut of corner
4. Pipe each shell full with the filling.
5. For extra flavor, dip each end of the cannoli into crushed pistachio nuts.
6. Dust with powdered sugar, use a salt shaker filled with the sugar

The Shells
Ingredients
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of instant espresso
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
Pinch of salt
Dry white wine
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Vegetable oil to fry


Instructions
1. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso, sugar, melted butter, and salt.
2. Add enough wine to make a smooth, stretchable dough.
3. Knead into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Heat enough vegetable oil in a deep pan to be able to submerge the shells.
5. Heat the oil over a medium heat.
6. Roll out the dough on a well-floured board to about 1/8 of an inch thick.
7. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can.
8. Roll a cannoli around a metal shell mold.
9. Use a bit of egg white to seal the pastry around the shell mold.
10. Drop a bit of the dough into the oil, if it bubbles quickly the oil is hot enough to fry your shells.
11.    Fry the shells on the molds until they are light brown and crisp.
12.    Let the shells cool before sliding them off the molds.
13.    Do this until all of your dough is used.