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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 stand 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
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 stand 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
- 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.
Sorry, But this is not a true Italian Pizzelle recipe. Never would one add baking powder or powdered sugar in the dough!!!
Yikes!!!
I would never claim to know anything about authentic pizzelle, but I do appreciate hearing that the batter should not contain baking powder and powdered sugar. I obviously have no experience with authentic cannoli either. 🙂 If you have authentic recipes for either that you’d be willing to pass along, I’d gladly take them! Thanks for your comments.
Hi,
I am Italian and we do put baking powder in the dough for pizzelle. Also, the powdered sugar she uses is not for the dough but for the ricotta filling.
I have to try this recipe. I also have a question for Meggan: I usually make my pizzelle with anise seeds – would this still be good to fill with ricotta or should I omit it?
Hi Joanne! I think it would be delicious with anise seeds! Thank you so much for your comment, I hope you have a happy holiday! Take care! – Meggan
When I called her out on the Photos she told me she took them but lets people use them
Really should water mark these a lady is using your photos she will take their money and not even make them
Hi Beth, thanks for the head’s up. It’s kind of like playing whack-a-mole! I think I can find them through a google image search, though, so I’ll look into it. Thank you so much!!! And I can promise you that I never used anyone else’s photos, obviously. 🙂
I made the filling and it is runny, any suggestions on how to thicken this up.
Hi Denise, if your filling seems runny, I would try to thicken it up by remove some of the excess liquid. You could pour the filling over a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve, some cheesecloth, or even pile it on paper towels. That should soak up some of the extra cream. I’m sorry you had that issue. Makes me wonder if there is variance among ricotta cheese, maybe some producers have more or less water than others. I should probably recommend using less heavy cream overall and adding more if the mixture is too thick. Thanks for your question and I hope this helps!
You need t o let just your ricotta strain over night over cheese clothe in a bowl as it is high in water content and squeeze out the moisture frequently. Then once it looks dryer then It was assemble your filling as stated in recipe.
The real name is FERRATELLE , a tipical Abruzzo recipe. You can try also BRIGIDINI, this time a tipical Tuscany recipe that you can do with the same tool. bye 😉
Hi Anna, thanks for these tips! I’ll research the recipes for sure. 🙂 Always good to hear from a native! Take care.
How far in advance can the mock cannoli be made? And, what is the best way to store them?
Hi Sharon, here is what I would do if I wanted to make the cannoli in advance. I’d make all the components and store them separately and then assemble them at the last minute. The cookies will keep for a week AT LEAST at room temperature (air-tight container), and the filling should be fine for 4 or 5 days if not longer (refrigerated). I just wouldn’t assemble them until you need them because the cookies would probably get soggy after a day or so. Not as bad as actual cannoli, but I’m assuming after a while that would happen. I’ve never actually made these in advance. I do think if you made them in the morning and refrigerated them until the afternoon, that would be fine. I hope this helps. Good luck!
My very own shout-out! I am blushing. 🙂 I love your cannoli interpretation. Deep frying is all well and good, but I have a hard time believing the authentic shells are better than delicious pizzelle cookies. This is genius!
Meggan, this is such a fun post! I’m all for cheat’s versions of things, especially if they end up looking as good as these. I saw an Italian chef make a similar filling for pancakes recently at a food show – he added chocolate sauce to his so I guess it’s more or less the same taste you end up with. I don’t have a pizzelle press but I do have a pasta maker … maybe I should give that version a try!
Meggan, this is such a fun post! I’m all for cheat’s versions of things, especially if they end up looking as good as these. I saw an Italian chef make a similar filling for pancakes recently at a food show – he added chocolate sauce to his so I guess it’s more or less the same taste you end up with. I don’t have a pizzelle press but I do have a pasta maker … maybe I should give that version a try!
Well you did an amazing job with these Meggan, they look awesome!
Thanks so much, Matt! They were super tasty, a big hit with the guys around here. 🙂