recipe reviews for:

Cannoli

“Ana and Lydia's cannoli, recipe invented on July 31st, 2005. I spent a lot of time looking for a good recipe for cannoli shells and filling. Since no two were alike, and since instructions were a bit sketchy, I worked with a friend to come up with a good recipe, including some tips that we came up with along the way. Special equipment is needed such as cannoli tubes, a pasta machine and a pastry bag to help make these cannoli come out just like the ones at Italian restaurants and bakeries. Start with 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, and then add more to taste.”

Sort reviews by:
DATE
RATING
MOST HELPFUL

Reviewed: Feb. 12, 2012

I have been making cannolis for 30+years in our Italian family. This shell recipe is just as good as mine. I give the shells 5 stars. The filling is nothing like ours. I differ in the filling as such: I use ricotta used for pastries such as cannolis called IMPASATA RICOTTA . This is what your bakeries and grocery stores in the bakery dept use. I find it in Italian pizza stores ask management to order. Best company to order from is Cisco Co but any will be good. It comes in 5 lb plastic containers and be frozen if necessary. If you do this I suggest make the filling first then freeze in batches for later use. To the ricotta I add confectionery sugar to taste and anise liquor to taste or rum liquor to taste but not both. No citron found most friends not Italian does not like. Then mini chocolate chips. Dip ends of shells in melted chocolate or gnache then in crushed pistachio nuts and enjoy.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Judi

Reviewed: Jan. 22, 2012

Great recipe! Delish! I just wish I had a pasta roller! :)

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Mariela Does Cakes

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2012

I used another recipe for the shells that I love, so I only made the filling, but I had to add 1-1/2 t. vanilla and tripled the sugar.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

AshleyP

Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)

Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2012

Amazing dough recipe. My pasta roller has 6 settings, next time I'll only go up to 5 and then hand roll them after cutting so that they're a little oblong. I wasn't able to deep fry, so I baked them in a convection oven @ 400 - it worked great. Dust 1 side of the shell with flour, wrap around form, then lightly brush oil on the outside with a pastry brush (I actually used the back of a spoon). Just a couple minutes and they're perfect! I also changed up the filling a bit: 2 c. warm milk + 6 Tbsp. flour (mix well & cook for 15 mintues). Cool to room temp. Add ricotta, chocolate, powdered sugar (I used 3/4 c.) + 1 Tbsp vanilla. Whip for 10 mintues w/elec. mixer Chill then fill. I didn't add citrus zest, but will next time. I'm from the east side of Detroit with a TON of Italian bakeries. Best cannoli in town is from Giuseppes and this is pretty close.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Squeaky Beano

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Living In: Berkley, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2011

A great recipe to be sure. BUT, I find that the ricotta where I live is WAY to thin. I strained it over night in a sieve lined with a few layers of coffee filters (it's what I had on hand). and a heavy plate on top. The Cheese needs to be fairly dry and firm. Again a great recipe thank you Lydia.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MrMomJones

Reviewed: Sep. 19, 2011

well i made it :/...it wasn't that great..didn't like the filling..i think a lighter sweeter filling would have made this alot better..the dough wasn't bad though..i had to keep on rolling it so it got thin enough and fried up real nice..i will use the dough again but not the filling :o

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

goldina's recipes

Reviewed: Sep. 3, 2011

Fantastic shell recipe, the marsala gives it an incredible flavor. We went ahead and rolled out the dough, and even with a LOT of rolling, it really isn't possible to get it perfect without a pasta machine, but it still came out really good. My only complaint is that the filling recipe neglects one very important step: drain the ricotta first! If you just follow this recipe, the filling can be very wet and it doesn't stay inside the shells, you need to strain the ricotta first to remove some liquid.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

adesalme2004

Reviewed: Sep. 3, 2011

What a fabbbbulous recipe! Making the dough was a piece of cake...and I was ALONE! It sounds intimidating, but one does NOT need a whole family or neighborhood to get involved, although it could be a little more fun. Firstly, I mixed all the dry ingredients in my food processor for 10 sec. (I also added 1/2 tsp of cocoa powder), then added the 3 tbsp of lard and pulsed for another 10 sec. In a separate container, I mixed all the wet ingredients and the eggs together. Through my food processor hole, I slowly added the liquid mixture while the processor was running. Once all the liquid was combined, I let the processor run for appx another minute until all the ingredients formed into a ball. Pulled the dough out, and kneaded for 2-3 min then covered with plastic and threw the dough in the fridge for an overnight rest. Voila...I bought a pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid to flatten the dough and it worked like a breeze. The end result was wonderful. The cannoli had a beautiful smell from the marsala wine. I filled some of the cannolis with the ricotta filling ( I used fresh ricotta - not the impatasta bcuz I cannot find any in Quebec, Canada), and others with homemade gelato. For the ricotta filling, I also added a few tbsp of mascarpone as suggested and it gave the filling a nice smell as well. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

mady

Reviewed: May 30, 2011

This is a good recipe, however I'm just not a fan of pure ricotta filling.. When I was a kid my grandma who was from Italy made cannoli for me on special occasions and she always used mascarpone cheese. I personally think it makes for a deeper, creamier cannoli filling, but maybe I'm just biast to grandma :)

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Arci

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 25, 2011

These came out wonderful. I made my own adjustments to the ricotta filling to taste. But I followed the shell recipe exactly and it was 5 stars by itself. Really wasn't as difficult as it thought it would be. Thanks.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful