New York Style Cannoli

The first time Dale and I went to New York City was about ten years ago. It was in February and very cold. We were staying five days, and if we were to do everything on our schedule, we’d probably still be there.

We stayed at the Marriot Marquis right in the center of Times Square. I loved the city. I loved the energy and the business of the whole town.

The first morning of our trip started by grabbing coffee in the hotel’s lobby. Next, we planned on stopping at a bakery for breakfast. So, with our itinerary for the day and our hands; We set out to explore the city.

As we walked down the busy sidewalk, Dale pointed out a bakery that seemed very busy, which we considered a good thing.

Without hesitation, we went into the shop and were amazed by the dozens of various pastries. Dale stayed at the back of the shop, and I got in line to buy doughnuts.

The man behind the counter was a little more aggressive than I’m used to in Indiana, and I was overwhelmed. In addition, he was agitated with the amount of time it took me to make a decision. He was freaking me out, and without knowing why, I said, “I’ll take 12 cannoli! What we would we do with 12 cannoli? I have no idea, but we were about to find out.

At the back of the store, I returned to Dale with two boxes of cannoli, which cost $60.

Dale asked where his donut was, and I said, “I have good news and bad news, The good news is we each have six cannoli, and the bad news is, we are not getting donuts. “

We carried those boxes of cannoli all over the city that day. I pleaded with Dale several times to toss them in the trash, but my frugal husband would not hear of it.
Dale said, “no, we spent $60 on cannoli, and we are going to eat $60 worth of cannoli.”

Our cannoli road the subway, they went to the Statue of Liberty, went to the Empire State Building, And even took a tour of 30 Rock!

When we returned to the hotel that night, we each had a cannoli, and I have to admit they were perfect, but not worth $60. or carrying them around all day.

On the last day of our trip, we were packing, and we still had eight cannoli that, at this point, seemed a little questionable as to whether we should be eating them.
We decided to leave them and head back to Indiana, where there were no cannoli.

Recently I have been craving cannoli and decided that the only way I would get a good one was to make it. This recipe has gone through several variations, but I believe this one is as good as in a cannoli and the big apple.

These cannoli are crispy on the outside and velvety smooth on the inside. The pistachios add a crunch and a saltiness that complements the filling.

I hope you try this recipe; you will agree that cannoli is a good thing.

There is no intimidation here from a man behind a busy counter. No One’s going to stare you down until you have more than you need.

I would not change anything about my first experience with cannoli except putting them on the subway; that was a little gross.. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

Print

New York Style Cannoli

These cannoli are crispy on the outside and velvety smooth on the inside. The pistachios add a crunch and a saltiness that complements the filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cannoli recipe, dougbakes.com, new york styl cannoli

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Servings 12 cannoli

Author Doug Bakes Staff

Ingredients

Ingredients for the cannoli shells

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup marsala wine
• 2 yolks and reserve white for brushing
• 8 cups vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for the filling

• 32 ounces whole milk ricotta strained until dry
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, or pistachios
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Cannoli Shell Instructions

1. Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine.

2. Sprinkle in the cold butter cubes, and pulse until the mixture is in small pieces. 

3. Add the yolks and marsala to the processor, and pulse until the mixture comes together into a dough.

4. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter and knead for 4 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth and has elasticity. 

5. Cover and rest at room temperature for an hour, You can make the filling while the dough is resting. Meanwhile, make the filling. 

6. Once rested for an hour, Roll dough to about 1/8 an inch thick and 4-inch circles from the dough. 

7. re-roll scraps, but let them rest on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling again.

8. Heat the oil, 2inches deep in a large pot over medium heat using a thermometer to 360F. Keep a close eye on the temperature during frying and adjust as you go. 

9. Wrap the dough circles around the metal cannoli forms (I found mine on Amazon), use your finger to apply egg white to the ends that overlap, and press together.

10. If you don't seal them well, they will open up in the deep fryer, which is not good. 

11. Fry the shells in groups of three for about two minutes. 

12. Remember that adding more shells to the oil will drop the temperature. Frying in small batches makes it easier to maintain the correct temperature. 

13. Fry until golden, then use tongs to transfer to a wire rack lined with paper towels.

14. Remove the metal form immediately by using oven mitts. Wrap the vertically oriented shell in a paper towel, and use gentle pressure to press down and loosen it from the metal form.

Cannoli Filling Instructions

1. Remove excess water from the ricotta by placing it in a cheesecloth and squeezing out the liquid.

2. Combine the drained ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and mini chocolate chips in a bowl, then mix, chill filling if not using immediately.

3. Transfer to a piping bag, cut off the tip, and fill the shells when ready to serve the cannoli shells.

4. Once filled, press more chocolate chips onto the ends and dust with powdered sugar.