Food Review: Pumpkin Cannolis

These cannolis are pumpkin to talk about!

‘Tis the season for everything pumpkin! This recipe is a great way to bring subtle pumpkin flavor to the classic cannoli. These festive cannolis would be the perfect dessert to try for your next fall-themed get together.

Pumpkin Cannolis

Recipes by Allrecipes and Food Network

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients:

Equipment:

• Plastic wrap

• Rolling pin

• Cannoli mold

• Tongs

Cannoli Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• ¼ tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

• 1 egg yolk

• ½ cup white wine

Frying the Cannoli Shells:

• 1 quart canola oil

• 1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Pumpkin Cannoli Filling:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

• ¾ cups canned pumpkin

• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese

• ½ cup ricotta cheese

• ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish:

• Mini chocolate chips

• Confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

Making the Dough:

1. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, and salt together

2. Work the pieces of butter into the flour mixture until it is a sandy consistency

3. Add the egg yolk and white wine and mix into a smooth dough

4. Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and add the dough to the middle

5. Wrap the edges of the plastic wrap around the dough and flatten it

6. Let the dough rest in the fridge while you make the filling

Making the Filling:

1. Add the confectioners' sugar, pumpkin, mascarpone cheese, ricotta cheese, pudding mix, and pumpkin pie spice together to a bowl and whisk until smooth

2. Beat the heavy whipping cream in a chilled bowl until it forms stiff peaks

3. Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture

4. Set aside the filling mix until you are ready to assemble your cannolis

Frying the Shells:

1. In a medium pot, heat the canola oil to 360º F

2. Sift an even layer of flour on a flat surface and flour a rolling pin

3. Roll the dough until it is very thin (about ⅛ inch thick)

4. Use a glass or small bowl to cut the dough into 3 to 4-inch circles. Trace around the glass to make sure the dough is fully cut

5. Wrap each circle of dough around a cannoli mold

6. Use the egg wash on each side of the dough to seal it around the mold

7. Flare the edges out slightly from the mold to allow the oil to reach the inside of the cannoli shells as they fry

8. With tongs, hold the cannoli shells in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until crispy

9. Remove the shell from the oil. Take the shell off the mold by holding one end of the mold with the tongs and gently sliding the shell off the mold with a kitchen towel

10. Set aside to cool and repeat with the other circles of dough

Assembling the Cannolis:

1. Put the filling inside a gallon sized bag (or piping bag) and cut a hole in one corner

2. Pipe the mixture into the cannoli shells from both ends

3. Garnish with the extra confectioners' sugar and mini chocolate chips

Takeaway:

Although this recipe is pretty time consuming, it is worth it for the end result. The cannolis had a great subtle pumpkin flavor that pairs really well with the chocolate chips used to garnish them. Here are a few tips that will make the cannoli-making process go more smoothly. Set the butter out in advance so that it is room temperature when you use it. This will make it easier to mix into the flour. The recipe for the dough will likely make about 9 regular-sized cannoli shells — we made mini shells and got 17 shells out of the dough recipe. If you want more, you may want to double the dough recipe. If your cannoli shells are getting stuck on the molds try to twist them around the molds with a towel.