No-Fuss Cannolis

Cannolis can be annoying to make because you need to fry the shells in a tube shape and then fill them up right before serving, otherwise the shells become soft and soggy. They do end up looking beautiful and there`s nothing wrong with taking the extra steps to make classic cannolis, but if you want to make it at home and you don`t have the moulds to make the cannolis into tubes, we came up with a Wild Grounds way for you to enjoy cannolis with your friends and family at home in less than 30 minutes.

This way, the dough is fairly easy to make and the filling even easier, you can add all your favourite toppings and make the cannoli chips as large or small as you want them to be. They will also last all day and can keep for an extra couple of days if you want to make it in advance.

To make the recipe easier and faster, start by making the dough. In a medium bowl, cut a ½ tablespoon of butter into small squares and mix it into 1 cup of AP flour, pinch of salt and ½ tablespoon of granulated sugar with your hands, until you have a somewhat coarse mixture. Add 1 egg yolk and a ¼ cup of pinot grigio, keep mixing with your hands until the flour is fully incorporated and then wedge the dough in the bowl until it`s smooth. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in seran wrap, place it in the fridge to rest while you make the filling/dip.

In a medium bowl, whip 1 cup of smooth ricotta until it`s completely smooth. Add ½ cup of powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and the juice and zest of a ¼ lemon.

Add the dip to a small pot and cook it on medium heat for about 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Make sure to mix the bottom of the pot to not let it scorch and bring it to a light boil. The mixture should look thicker than when you started cooking it but not as thick as you want it to be, – once it cools, the mixture tends to thicken up even more.

To cool it faster, place the dip in a bowl and place the bowl in ice, making sure no ice or water goes into the filling. If you are not going to eat the cannoli right away, you can let it cool at room temperature and then place it in the fridge for a few extra minutes.

Take the dough out of the seran wrap and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out until it`s very thin – about ¼ cm – and cut it into 5-6 long strips, then cut the strips into triangles. You can be very methodical and attempt to make the chips all the same size, but there`s something special about the rustic look of homemade chips looking just a bit different from each other.

Bring a medium pot of oil to 375F and keep it around this temperature through the whole process. Add about ¼ of the chips to the pot one at a time, – so they don`t stick to each other, – and fry them until both sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the chips with a metal sieve or slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to dry them out and keep the chips crispy. Repeat this process until all the chips are cooked through.

Dust the cooled chips with powdered sugar and top the cooled dip with crushed pistachios, chocolate chips, cookie crumbs, strawberry bits and any other topping you enjoy on your cannoli.

No-Fuss Cannoli

Servings: 6-8

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cannoli Dough

1 Cup AP Flour, more for dusting

½ Tbsp Granulated Sugar

Pinch of Salt

½ Tbsp Butter, cubed

1 Egg Yolk

¼ Cup Pinot Grigio

½ Tbsp Orange Zest

Oil, for deep-frying

Ricotta Dip/Filling

1 Cup Smooth Ricotta

½ Cup Powdered Sugar, more for dusting

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Pinch Ground Cloves

2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

¼ Lemon, juice and zest

¼ tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp cornstarch

Step-by-Step

1.       Mix the dry ingredients with the cubed butter then add the yolk and pinot grigio. Wedge the dough in a medium bowl until smooth. Flatten into a disc, wrap with seran wrap and reserve it in the fridge while you make the filling.

2.       Make the filling by mixing all ingredients in a bowl, whip until it`s smooth. Add the mixture to small pan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes whisking constantly. It should be thicker than when you started but still creamy, once it cools it will become even thicker. Cool the filling in a bowl placed over ice for quicker results.

3.       Lightly flour a clean surface and open the dough until it`s very thin, about ¼ cm. Cut it into strips and cut each strip into multiple triangles to make chips.

4.       Heat up a medium pot of oil to 375F. Fry the chips in 3-4 batches and place the chips on paper towels to allow them to crisp up. Dust the chips with powdered sugar and add crushed pistachios, chocolate chips and any of your favourite cannoli toppings to the cooled dip.