Cannoli Shells

Homemade Cannoli Shells, a delicious Italian pastry shell that can be filled with cannoli cream or many other simple fillings. These crisp from-scratch fried tubes can be made mini, large, or any size in between. One of the best Italian desserts!

What is a cannoli?

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Cannoli Shell Ingredients

• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour.
• Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar (rather than dark brown sugar). Make sure you get any clumps out. Could also try granulated sugar.
• Salt – Just a little.
• Butter – Unsalted butter. If you only have salted, you may want to adjust the additional salt. Could also try shortening or lard instead.
• Eggs – You’ll need two large eggs. One for the pastry dough, and one to brush on the dough to help the dough adhere to itself and seal.
• Marsala Wine – A little marsala wine in the dough is traditional but some people have good luck using a little vinegar and water mixture (or white grape juice).
• Vegetable Oil – You’ll need quite a bit to fill a large pot a few inches deep for frying. You could also use Canola or even try using Peanut Oil (if no nut allergies…) if you prefer.

How to Make Cannoli Shells

Step One: Mix together flour, brown sugar, and salt.

Step Two: Work cold cubed butter into flour mixture until crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, your hands, or even a fork or two knives. You could also use a food processor to cut in the butter by pulsing.

Step Three: Mix in wine and a beaten egg until dough comes together.

Step Four: Form dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least an hour or more until cold.

Step Five: Take about a third or half of the dough (keep the rest in the fridge), and roll out on a lightly floured work surface until about 1/4-inch thick or thinner. You want as thin as you can get without the dough falling apart.

Step Six: Use a 4-inch round cutter and cut out dough into rounds. Repeat with remaining dough. You can use any size cutter you’d like for mini or larger cannoli shells.

Step Seven: Wrap a dough round around a metal cannoli tube. Brush a little beaten egg on the dough where it meets and press gently to seal.

Step Eight: Fill a large heavy pot or dutch oven with a few inches of vegetable oil. Heat over medium-high heat to 365 degrees F.

Step Nine: Using tongs or a spider strainer, place dough wrapped molds in hot oil and cook about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over as needed. Cook the shells a few at a time being careful to not overcrowd the pan.

Step Ten: Remove shells from oil and place on paper towels to cool. Repeat frying with remaining shells.

Step Eleven: When the shells are cool, remove molds from pastry shells by gently squeezing the metal molds and very gently twist until the shells slip off.

Step Twelve: Cool the cannoli shells completely before filling.

(Full printable recipe card with full details is at bottom of post.)

Cannoli Shell Filling Ideas

• Cannoli Cream – Homemade Cannoli Cream is easy to make and of course the more authentic and traditional choice. Sprinkle some mini chocolate chips and/or pistachios on the ends if you’d like.
• Cannoli Dip – These Chocolate Cannoli Dip, Orange Almond Cannoli Dip, Pumpkin Cannoli Dip, and original Cannoli Dip are all great options and thicker fillings.
• Whipped Cream – Homemade or store-bought sweetened whipped cream or defrosted whipped topping would be a delicious filling. Add your favorite flavorings, extracts, or even liqueurs to the whipped cream. Chopped fruit or your favorite “mix-ins” would also be great additions.
• Mousse – Any flavored mousse would be delicious.
• Pastry Cream – A thick pastry cream would work well. You could even mix-in a little whipped cream or whipped topping to thicken and stiffen.
• Pudding – Like pastry cream, you could mix a little whipped cream or whipped topping with pudding. Lots of great pudding flavor options.
• Frosting – Try your favorite frosting and add your favorite chopped fruit or mix-ins. This Marshmallow Frosting or Cream Cheese Frosting are great options. You could also dip the shells in melted chocolate on the ends (or drizzle on top) for chocolate-dipped cannoli shells and fill with this simple Peanut Butter Frosting.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve cannoli right after filling if you can, otherwise the shells start to get soggy.
• Serve with a great cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or dessert cocktail (this Cannoli Martini would be fun).
• After filling the cannoli shells you can dust with powdered sugar or drizzle melted chocolate over the shells (let cool to set).

Quick Tips for Best Results

• Be sure to refrigerate the dough and roll as thin as you can without the dough breaking.
• Maintain the oil temperature as well as you can (using a thermometer) to prevent the shells from over-browning if oil is too hot or becoming soggy if oil is not hot enough.
• Be careful taking the shells off of the metal tubes. They can break or crack easily. I’d suggest making a few more shells than you need just in case any break.
• To fill the cannoli shells, you can use a small narrow spoon or preferably a pastry bag (or resealable bag with the corner cut). Be sure to use a tip on the pastry bag that is large enough for any filling to fit through (mini chocolate chips can get stuck in some smaller tips).

Other Italian Dessert Recipes You May Enjoy

• Cannoli Cheesecake – A fun cannoli-inspired dessert! One of my son’s favorite desserts.
• Spumoni Cake – Beautiful striped cake with flavors of cherry, pistachio, and chocolate.
• Italian Sprinkle Cookies – Small cookies dipped in an easy glaze and covered in colorful sprinkles.
• Tiramisu Martini – Delicious dessert cocktail inspired by the popular Italian dessert.