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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.
Table of Contents
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 the best pizzelle makers you can buy, and our top pick is the one I own and love – the Cuisinart 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?
I tested some of the most popular hacks on the Internet to see if you can make pizzelle without a pizzelle iron—and none of them worked! I tried making them in a waffle maker, the oven, and stovetop. The waffle maker made pizzelle-flavored waffles, and the oven and stove top both led to pizzelle-flavored pancakes.
We rounded up the best pizzelle makers you can buy, and our top pick is the one I personally own and love – the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. You can buy it at Walmart for $46.99. If you’re not looking to spend a ton of money, the Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker is a great option, too. It’s so cute—and it’s only $9.99 at Target!
Step-by-step instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
I tested every internet hack I could find to see if you can make pizzelle without a pizzelle iron. None of them worked! I tried making them in a waffle maker, in the oven (between 2 baking sheets), and in a skillet (flattened with something heavy on top). The waffle maker made pizzelle-flavored waffles, and the oven and stove-top both led to pizzelle-flavored pancakes. If you’re going to make pizzelle, you need a pizzelle iron.
Cannoli is the plural of the word cannolo which means “little tube.”
Pizzelle comes from the word pizze which means round and flat, like a pizza. The elle part of the word means small (the diminutive). So pizzelle are small and flat.
The oldest known cookies in the world are Pizzelle, a small, flat cookie from Italy. Centuries ago, a small village called Colcullo was overrun by snakes. They were driven out by a Benedictine monk named San Domenico. The village celebrated with pizzelle and the Festival of the Snakes (or the Feast Day of San Domenico), still held every year on May 1st. Snake lovers, bring your own snake!
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Pizzelle Cannoli
Equipment
- Pizzelle iron (see note 1)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter melted and cooled
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (see note 2)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2/3 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips plus more for garnish
Instructions
To make the filling:
- Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- 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.
To make the cookies:
- Preheat Pizzelle iron and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and baking powder.
- Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter on to Pizzelle iron and close. Bake as directed by manufacturer or until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- 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, using a kitchen towel if necessary to prevent burning your fingers. Repeat with second cookie on press and all remaining batter.
- Remove filling from the refrigerator and fold in chocolate chips. Using a pastry 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 Video
Notes
- Pizzelle iron: Modern versions are just like a waffle maker: a silvery, shiny, beautiful waffle maker that makes cookies. I have this pizzelle iron (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
- Vanilla extract: Or substitute anise or almond extract. For lemon, use 1 teaspoon lemon oil instead of lemon extract (lemon extract doesn’t have enough flavor).
- Yield: This recipe 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.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Is there a timeline for when the shells get soggy? Should these be served as soon as they are filled?
These are best served as soon as they are filled. They will start to get soggy after an hour or two of filling them. Thank you! – Meggan
Those look delicious but can you use the store bought ones instead
Hi Jeannie, thank you for the question! I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why store-bought pizzelle couldn’t be microwaved and shaped when warm. I hope this helps! – Meggan
This dough sticks to my pizzelle maker. I have mad many pizzelles with this machine and Never had them stick. I made shells before with my pizzelle recipe with no problems.Thought I would try your recipe. I should have checked my recipe first. Your recipe has 1/2 cup more flour. Batter too thick. I spray them with Pam like I always did. Very upset!
Hi Joyce, I’m sorry you found the batter to be too thick. I hope you were able to adjust it to your liking. Sorry again. – Meggan