Stuff Your Face with Gluten Free Cannoli!

Seriously, you will not be able to stop - these things are amazing! When I was in Venice earlier this year I was completely jealous when my husband got to enjoy some fantastic looking cannoli (I just food porned it). I also swore it would be my mission to learn how to make them at home. And that I did. 

Shells:

I found an excellent recipe to start from for the shells on the Gluten Free Recipe Box. 

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp GF vanilla extract 
• 3.5 tbsp cold water 
• 1/2 c while rice flour 
• 1/4 c tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch 
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum 
• 1 tbsp organic raw cane sugar
• A crank of two Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 3 tsp butter
• egg white for brushing
• White rice flour for dusting
• Cannola oil, or oil of your preference for frying

Beat together egg, water and vanilla. In a separate about mix together all the dry
ingredients. Cut in butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together. Dust a clean surface with rice flour (or other flour), and roll out dough. Start pre-heating oil in a frying pan (about 1-1.5 inch oil, medium to medium-low heat) I did this after quartering the dough (whatever was left went into the next quarter. Roll and cut out with 3 inch or larger circle cutter (I used a 3.5). Wrap the circle around a cannoli roller (I got mine on Amazon). Then fry. You'll have to turn them about. Fry until golden in color all around. Place on a cooling rack which has been covered with paper towel or kleenex if you ran out like I did. Use tongs to move about. Repeat until they're all cooked.

TIP: Cannoli roller will be burn your fingers off hot. Since that is not fun, wait a minute after taking it out of the oil. Hold cannoli and hammer cannoli roller with tong to loosen. Then use tong to extract it from the cannoli. Let it sit a few minutes before you handle again to make the next cannoli. 

Filling

Next up - the filling! I drew inspiration from a few recipes, primarily this one on cooks.com:

• 750g(ish) part skim ricotta cheese - I actually used one smaller container plus one half of another one.
• 1.25 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp GF vanilla extract
• 1/4 chopped chocolate [chips]
• OPTIONAL: Icing sugar and carob/cocoa powder for dusting

First, strain the ricotta cheese for about half an hour. Then combine it with all other ingredients. Put into a ziploc bag, or icing bag if fancy-pants, and fill the shells. Fill only the ones you will consume immediately - this keeps the shell pastry crispy and flaky. I filled a few immediately and then refrigerated the rest and filled as we ate. Dust the tops as you go as well.

Have you ever made cannoli? What's your favorite recipe?