The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.
I had mixed feelings about this month’s Daring Bakers challenge. I absolutely adore cannoli. However, when this month’s challenge was revealed at the beginning of the month, I had just held my Italian birthday dinner and made homemade cannoli. It was a bit of an ordeal, and I’m not a huge fan of deep frying, so I wasn’t quite ready to do it again.
The good thing about this challenge, though, was that I had just made homemade cannoli! This was one Daring Bakers challenge that I might actually be able to conquer! So, while I was tempted to skip the challenge, citing my previous experience with cannoli, I decided to give the cannoli a second try. After all, I figured I could use a Daring Baker success instead of my usual failures!
Perhaps I was a bit too confident, though. I found that my second attempt at cannoli was a bit more difficult than the first. The recipe was a bit different than the one that I used before. I may have over-worked the dough a bit, because I found it to be rather elastic and difficult to roll. I didn’t have that difficulty the first time around.
I decided to halve the recipe, and only about one half of the shells that I made turned out correctly. The key was to roll the dough out until it was paper thin. Otherwise, the shells wouldn’t blister and have the desired flakey texture. Instead they were thick and tough. In retrospect, I probably should have gotten out my pasta machine to roll the dough. The ones that did turn out were pretty good, though!
I filled the cannoli with my pumpkin mousse instead of a traditional ricotta filling. Instead of sprinkling with powdered sugar, I sprinkled with cinnamon. Both my hubby and I enjoyed the pumpkin spice twist on cannoli.
Overall, I’m glad that I tried this new recipe for cannoli shells, but I think that I will be going back to my original recipe next time around. You can view recipe for cannoli shells provided for the Daring Bakers challenge below.
Cannoli Shells
- 2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
- Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
- 1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
- Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
- 1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
- Confectioners’ sugar
Directions for Cannoli Shells
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.
Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.
Pasta Machine Method for Cannoli Shells
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through
Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.
Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.
To Assemble the Cannoli
When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.
Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.
Note – The regularly scheduled Friday Favorites will continue next Friday!
Even though you had some trouble with the dough (it takes a lot of covering and resting between rolls – egg based doughs are much easier, but not ‘traditional..lol), your cannoli really looks amd sounds wonderful. Pumpkin filling of any kind..is better than the traditional in my opinion :) Thanks so much for taking my part in my challenge!!
I’m sad to admit that I’ve never had a cannoli. Gasp!!!! I know! I’ve always wanted to try one. But I haven’t found a bakery here in LA that makes a good one. I love your choice of filling for this one. Keeping with the fall theme of pumpkin. Great attempt.
Try Publics or an Italian grocery store/deli. You sure won’t be sorry.
Claros Italian store or Federico’s bakery will have them for sure. I don’t know where in LA u live but both of these markets are in the San Gabriel valley.
I had the same trouble with the dough, and I thought it was just me. I’ll have to try your other recipe if I decide to make cannoli again. Your shells look nice and blistery, and I bet that pumpkin mousse is delicious!
Yes the dough can be hard to roll but once it is the rest is easy and your cannoli is so warty and blistered well done and the all the photos are fabulous. Cheers from Audax in Australia.
Yours look pretty good. I’ m not sure about overworking about the dough, because I sure overworked mine. :)
Think its more about rolling the dough out real thin.
amazing looking shells. love the blister and adore the filling.
the step by step pictures are perfect.
Congrats on these! The shells look awesome and I bet the filling is scrumptious!
Stunning job! I love the blisters – they look absolutely perfect =D.
Your cannoli are beautiful! I made the pumpkin version too (with some minor modifications) and found it a good Thanksgiving-day dessert option. I love your pics, too!
Wow! These look better than most cannoli I’ve seen in Italian pastry shops.
Jen, Wow you’re turning into a cannoli expert! Good for you for trying them again. I loved them but I agree, all that frying is cumbersome. They look wonderful!
Your cannoli look and sound delicious…nicely done!
I love your pumpkin mousse filling, sounds wonderful!
I couldn’t make it this month for various reasons, but this looks like it was tough. Yours look amazing – bravo!
Great job on your Daring Bakers challenge! I failed and totally flaked out this month. I really wanted to give it a try but to much going on. I also love that you filled your cannoli with pumpkin mousse…yum!
I will have to try the pumpkin mousse – it sounds really good.
Oh my GOD Jenn you have won me over in the best of ways!!! Pumpkin spice cannolis?!?!?! HOLLA! AMAZING!
You did a great job on your cannolis. I love your filling flavors too.
Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go
Where can i buy the tubes to do the cannolis?
Hi, Patty – You can buy them at many specialty baking stores… And, they are also available on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Thank you! I have always wanted to make cannolis. The search begins.
your Connoli look super. I learned to make them from my Mother many years ago. I must admit that I don’t make them very often, as I have become more modern than my MOM. They sell the shells in boxes of six in many Italian grocery stores. They are very good and I use them all the time. I always at least two boxes in my pantry in cast I get an urge. They usually sell for 2.99 a box.
I look forward to trying your Pumpkin mousse., what a nice switch from Ricotta or boiled cream.
Thanks for sharing,
Ann
How many cannolis does the mousse fill? Instead of making the shells I’m just going to buy them as a last minute thing so I need to know how many to get.