Cannoli

How to Make Cannoli

Speed through the intricate process of traditional cannoli by using Pillsbury™ Refrigerated Pie Crust. Our recipe features fragrant orange zest and mini chocolate chips—a classic in the realm of cannoli flavors. The recipe guides you carefully through every short-cut, but here are the highlights.

Make Foil Cannoli Molds

Heavy-duty foil is easy to roll into tubes that are the perfect size needed to form the cannoli shells. It is sturdier that regular foil and will help the tubes keep their shape. The cannoli molds are easy to make by cutting 12-inch squares of foil, folding in half and rolling up. Be sure to generously spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Unroll and Cut Refrigerated Pie Crusts

Soften the pie crusts as directed on the package to make them easier to work with. Use a 4½-inch bowl as a template to cut the two sheets of pastry into 8 circles with a small knife or pizza cutter. Using ready-to-bake pie pastry makes cannoli shells into a single ingredient recipe! You now have lots of time to consider the world of flavors and fun stir-ins for the filling. It’s even possible to divide the filling in half, and flavor each half differently.

Mold the Pastry and Bake

Roll each pastry circle around a foil tube; seal connecting edges with egg wash. Freeze for 10 minutes. Bake in a 425°F oven on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then slide the foil tubes out of the pastry while it’s still warm.

Mix the Filling

Combine the whipped cream cheese and whipped topping together with powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon until well blended. To ensure a very creamy base for the cannoli filling, our recipe calls for whipped cream cheese mixed with whipped topping. The cream cheese offers a similar tang to mascarpone, a higher fat fresh Italian cheese. A full-fat ricotta cheese is more traditional but has more texture—it’s a matter of taste as to which you choose.

Fill the Cannoli Shells

Spoon the filling into a disposable pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag. Snip off the tip of the disposable pastry bag or cut a small corner from the disposable bag. Squeeze the filling into each pastry shell. Piping the filling into the shells is the best way to neatly fill the shells without breakage.

Garnish

Sprinkle ends of the creamy filling with more mini chocolate chips, pressing in slightly if needed. Dust with powdered sugar and the cannoli are ready to serve.

Cannoli Variations

If you’d like to move into special occasion or gift mode, try dipping one end of the baked cannoli shells into melted chocolate. Then sprinkle with finely chopped nuts for a little extra crunch. Allow them to dry on a cooling rack before piping in the filling.

For additional cannoli filling flavorings and stir-ins, vanilla, lemon or orange zest, chocolate chunks, or candied fruit like citron are favorites. But modern cannoli recipes embrace so much more, like espresso or mocha cream, caramel cream with toffee baking bits, toasted hazelnut rum cream, pistachio cream, peppermint chocolate mousse, banana cream, lemon meringue, candied ginger lime, or blends of warm spices or herbs—chai tea or dried lavender with lemon zest would make particularly delicate fillings. You could also explore the inviting selections of coffee syrups or baking extracts to easily boost the flavor quotient of a simple creamy base filling.

Easy Cannoli Dip is definitely worth a try – all the flavor of traditional cannoli in a bowl with crispy pie crust squares for dipping. It’s the perfect party food.

Storing Cannoli

To get the most shelf life from your cannoli, it is best to store the baked unfilled cannoli shells in an airtight container at room temperature. If possible, prep the filling right before filling the shells and serving. If you are prepping ahead, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove the filling from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to use to allow it to soften enough to pipe into the shells.

Filled cannoli will hold for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Simply remove from the refrigerator and serve. Note, over time, the moist filling will make the pastry a little soggy. The great flavor will remain, but the shell texture will not be as crisp.

More Italian Dessert Recipes

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