Mexican Cannoli Recipes

HOMEMADE CANNOLI

Steps:

• For the cannoli shells: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until thoroughly combined. Add the egg yolk and Marsala and process until the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Fill a large, wide pot with 2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a thin circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out as many circles as possible with a 3 1/2- to 4-inch round cookie cutter, then gather the scraps, reroll, and cut out more (discard any remaining scraps).
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Wrap a circle of dough around a cannoli tube. Lightly moisten an edge with water and press the edges together very firmly to seal (if not well-sealed, the cannoli shells will open while frying). Repeat with as many cannoli tubes as you have. Fry the tubes with the dough, turning once, until the shells are golden brown all over, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully remove the tubes from the oil and slip off the cannoli shells onto the paper towels. Let the tubes cool slightly, then repeat until all of the dough is fried, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the oil at 350 degrees F. Cool the shells completely.
• For the filling: Mix the ricotta, confectioners' sugar, orange zest and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the chocolate.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip with the ricotta mixture. Hold a cannoli shell in one hand; with the other, insert the pastry tip into the center of the shell and pipe out the filling. Turn the shell around and fill the other side. Repeat with the remaining shells and filling. Arrange on a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve filled shells immediately; alternatively, store unfilled shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days and fill when ready to serve.

HOMEMADE CANNOLI

Steps:

• Make the dough: Sift together the flour, granulated sugar and salt into a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse and sandy. Add the egg yolk and wine and mix with a wooden spoon to make a smooth dough. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and place the dough in the center. Wrap the plastic loosely around it and press the dough into a disk. Let rest in the fridge while you make the filling.
• Make the filling: Whisk the ricotta in a medium bowl until smooth. Sift in the confectioners¿ sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Whisk to blend.in a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream with a whisk until fairly stuff then gently fold into the ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Zest the lemon and fold it into the ricotta. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour while you make the shells.
• Make the shells: Fill a large Dutch oven with 2 inches of canola oil; heat to 360 degrees F. meanwhile, sift an even layer of flour onto a flat surface. Dust the dough with flour and roll out slightly. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out until about 1/8 inch thick. With a paring knife, cut out 3- to 4-inch rounds using a small bowl as a guide. You should have about 24 rounds total. Wrap each round of dough around a cannoli mold, brushing with a little beaten egg to seal the seam and ensure the dough won¿t slide off the mild. Flare out the edges of the dough slightly (this lets the oil penetrate each shell as it fries). Working in small batches, hold one end of each mold and carefully add to hot oil. Fry the shells until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shells from the oil using tongs and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly. Using a kitchen towel, grip the mold in one hand and hold the shell in the other. Twist the shell slightly to pull it off the mold; set aside to cool. Repeat to make more shells.
• Fill the cannoli: Using a spatula, transfer the refrigerated filling to a pastry bag and snip the corner. Just before serving, pipe the filling into the shells from both sides so it runs through the whole shell. Dust the cannoli with confectioners' sugar.

CANNOLI

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until it is in pieces no larger than peas. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, egg yolk, Marsala wine, vinegar and water. Mix with a fork until the dough becomes stiff, then finish it by hand, kneading on a clean surface. Add a bit more water if needed to incorporate all of the dry ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Divide the cannoli dough into thirds, and flatten each one just enough to get through the pasta machine. Roll the dough through successively thinner settings until you have reached the thinnest setting. Dust lightly with flour if necessary. Place the sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a form or large glass or bowl, cut out 4 to 5 inch circles. Dust the circles with a light coating of flour. This will help you later in removing the shells from the tubes. Roll dough around cannoli tubes, sealing the edge with a bit of egg white.
• Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) in a deep-fryer or deep heavy skillet. Fry shells on the tubes a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Use tongs to turn as needed. Carefully remove using the tongs, and place on a cooling rack set over paper towels. Cool just long enough that you can handle the tubes, then carefully twist the tube to remove the shell. Using a tea towel may help you get a better grip. Wash or wipe off the tubes, and use them for more shells. Cooled shells can be placed in an airtight container and kept for up to 2 months. You should only fill them immediately or up to 1 hours before serving.
• To make the filling, stir together the ricotta cheese and confectioners' sugar using a spoon. Fold in lemon zest and chocolate. Use a pastry bag to pipe into shells, filling from the center to one end, then doing the same from the other side. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar and grated chocolate for garnish when serving.

EASY CANNOLI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon. Spray tortillas with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle each tortilla with a scant 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon-sugar mixture. Turn tortillas over; repeat. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges. Stand rounded edge of each tortilla wedge in bottom of muffin cup, curling sides in to fit cup.
• Bake 10 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Cool in pan.
• Pour milk into large mixing bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat at low speed with electirc mixer 2 minutes. Beat in cream cheese product at medium speed until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Refrigerate untill chilled, at least 1 hour.
• When ready to serve, fill each tortilla shell with a scant 3 tablespoons pudding mixture, using a pastry bag or spoon. Place chocolate in small freezer zippered plastic bag. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is melted. Fold over top of bag tightly; snip off one tiny corner (about 1/8 inch) from bottom of bag. Holding bag tightly at top, drizzle chocolate over desserts. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 5 minutes.
• Note: Cover and freeze any leftover desserts. Thaw in refrigerate as needed.