Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. Marsala wine or sherry
• 1½ Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pound ricotta impastata (see headnote) at room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• ½ to 3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar, to taste
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. orange zest or orange extract (optional)
• 4 cups neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for frying
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• 3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Method

1. Pulse the flour, a quarter cup of confectioners' sugar, the salt, beaten egg, cinnamon, cocoa, Marsala, vinegar and room-temperature butter in a food processor for 3 to 4 minutes until a soft dough forms, then knead it on a floured surface for about 5 minutes until smooth, wrap it and chill for 1 hour.
2. Stir the ricotta impastata and mascarpone together with a half to three quarters cup of confectioners' sugar, the vanilla and the orange zest if using it, then load the filling into a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and leave it at room temperature while the shells are made.
3. Divide the chilled dough into four pieces and roll each one out to about a quarter inch thick on a floured surface, cut out 3- to 4-inch disks, reroll the scraps for more disks, and roll each disk into a very thin oval.
4. Heat the neutral oil in a Dutch oven to 350°F, wrap each dough oval around a cannoli mold and seal the overlapping edge with a dab of water.
5. Fry the molded shells seam side down in batches for 1 to 2 minutes, holding the seam closed with tongs until it sets, then turn them and fry 1 to 2 minutes more until evenly golden, and drain them on a paper-towel-lined sheet.
6. Once the shells are completely cool, slide them off the molds, pipe the ricotta filling in from both ends, press mini chocolate chips into the exposed filling at each opening and sift the remaining confectioners' sugar over the finished cannoli.

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data