Cannoli

Traditionally cannoli is made from old world recipes in which the dough is rolled out, cut into strips and deep fried on forms. Some Italians use a biscuit cutter to cut their cannoli to get the rounded shape.

There are many ways to make the cannoli shells and I've added a couple below such as using frozen pastry dough and from pizzelles hot off the iron.

Although you can use any filling such as whipped cream icing, I prefer to use the ricotta cheese recipe listed below to fill the ones that I bake in the oven from fozen pastry dough or from the rolled pizzelles. I am very fond of pistachio nuts and use them instead of walnuts or candied fruit.

• 1 small container ricotta cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Chopped pistachio nuts
• Powdered sugar

Combine ricotta, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. After filling the cannoli shells, dip the ends in chopped pistachios. Sprinkle the cannolis with powdered sugar.

• One sheet of puff pastry dough
• Granulated sugar

Defrost Dough and roll out. Cut into strips and then roll around cannoli forms overlapping the same as wrapping lady locks. Place the wrapped tubes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes,until the pastry is dry and the sugar is browned. Remove the pastry shells from the tubes immediately by holding the cannoli with a paper towel and removing the tube. Place on wire racks to cool.

Pizzelles can be used to make your cannoli. The cannoli need to be wrapped around your cannoli tubes as soon as they are removed from the pizzelle iron to get the wrapped form. Place the tubes with the wrapped side down. Once the pizzelle has cooled it will retain the form and you can remove the tubes.