Pizzelle Cannoli (2024)

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If you love cannoli but don’t want to make and fry the shells, try this innovative Pizzelle Cannoli variation. It’s made with rolled Pizzelle cookies and sweetened ricotta cream, and the cookies are easy to make and sturdy to handle.

Traditional cannoli shells are made from deep-fried pastry dough. They are light and shatteringly crisp which makes them both delicious and delicate. I was looking for an easier way this holiday season.

This creative cannoli recipe uses rolled up Pizzelle cookies (the flat, waffle-like cookies that are cooked in a press similar to a waffle iron) as a crispy shell for the cannoli. As long as you have a pizzelle iron, these pizzelle shells are much easier to make and handle than traditional cannoli shells.

Equipment and ingredient notes

• Pizzelle iron:Modern versions of pizzelle makers are just like waffle makers. They’re silvery, shiny, and beautiful, and they also make cookies! We rounded up thebest pizzelle makers you can buy, and our top pick is the one I own and love – theCuisinart Pizzelle Press.
• Vanilla extract: Substitute anise extract or almond extract for the 2 tsps vanilla extract. For lemon, use 1 tsp lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).

Do you need a pizzelle maker to make pizzelle?

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Fold in whipped cream, cover, and refrigerate while making the Pizzelle cookies.

3. Preheat Pizzelle iron and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and baking powder. Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter onto the Pizzelle iron and close. Bake as directed by the manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. Using a nonstick spatula, remove one pizzelle, leaving the second still on the open press, carefully wrap around a ¾” wooden dowel and pinch where the ends of the cookie meet. Hold until pizzelle is cool enough to retain its shape as a cannoli tube, using a kitchen towel if necessary to prevent burning your fingers. Repeat with second cookie on press and all remaining batter.

5. Remove filling from the refrigerator and fold in chocolate chips. Using a pastry piping bag fitted with only a large coupler and no tip, pipe the filling into each side of a cooled pizzelle. It is okay if the filling does not go all the way through the middle of the cookie. Garnish with additional chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve immediately or chill until serving time.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes about 36 cannoli (12 servings of 3 cannoli per person). The recipe may be halved.
• Storage: Store leftover cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: The prepared cannoli shells will keep, unfilled, for up to two weeks if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Unfortunately, the shells cannot be filled in advance because the ricotta cheese filling will make the cannoli soggy.
• More cannoli fillings: I love the sweetened ricotta cheese filling, but you could also do whipped mascarpone, straight whipped cream, or even classic French pastry cream.
• Finishing touches: Sprinkle the ends of the cannoli with a cup of mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, dark chocolate shavings, or finely chopped candied orange zest. Or, add a drizzle of melted chocolate and a dusting of powdered sugar or ground cinnamon.