2cupsall purpose flourspooned and leveled, plus more for rolling the dough
¼cupgranulated sugar
1tspsalt
½tspground cinnamon
4tbspunsalted buttercold and cubed
6tbspwhite or marsala wine
1large eggroom temperature
1egg whitefor brushing
2-3cupsvegetable oilfor frying
1cupmini semi-sweet chocolate chipsoptional
Powdered sugar, for dustingoptional
Instructions
Filling
First, make the filling. Place the ricotta in a mesh strainer or a cheese cloth over a large bowl so the water strains and put in the fridge. Leave for at least an hour or up to overnight so all the water releases.
In a bowl, whip the heavy cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. About 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the strained ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Fold in the whipped cream until fully incorporated. To get the filling perfectly smooth, run it through a blender. I promise this is the ONLY way to get a perfect and smooth filling. Place in the refrigerator until ready to fill the cannolis.
Shell
For the shell, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and cut the butter into the dough with your hands or a pastry cutter. Add the white wine and egg and mix until a dough forms. Knead a couple of times until all the flour is incorporated and dough is smooth. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least an hour so the butter gets cold again. Once chilled, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough. To wrap the dough around your cannoli inserts, dip your finger in the egg white and brush on one end of the cannoli, wrap around the insert, and stick both ends together - place on a plate lightly dusted with flour. Continue doing this until all the dough is used up.
Frying
If you are frying the cannoli shells, fill a large pot with about 3 inches of oil. BE CAREFUL. Use a thermometer to make sure the oil is at 360 degrees while frying, for about 2-3 minutes, until golden. Place finished shells on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
If you are using an air fryer, set the air fryer to 350 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden.
Once the shells are cool enough to handle, slide the inserts off of the shells and repeat with remaining dough. Once all shells are cool, fill your shells with the filling using a piping bag or a plastic bag with the tip cut off. Dip the ends in mini chocolate chips or pistachios if you would like, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!