Last weekend, I wanted to try to make something new that I knew my boyfriend would just love. I decided that peanut butter and chocolate was the way to go. Who doesn't love that combination? I also wanted to make something I had never had nor heard of before. Cannolis came to mind. Although this isn't a traditional cannoli, I have somewhat stayed true to the idea of a cannoli by using cream cheese the filling. I know, I know, it's supposed to be ricotta, but this is soo good. Trust me.
I knew making these would be simple enough - I just had to be patient with putting all of the different parts together. Unfortunately, I made half of the recipe for the cannoli shells, expecting that the recipe might actually make as many as what it was supposed to, but it didn't. That is why the cannolis you see pictured above are ever so bite-sized.
Luckily, making the cannolis so small was a much better decision than making them with the normal 4 1/2in circle of dough. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio would have been completely skewed had the cannolis been larger. Because I filled the cannolis with peanut butter mousse, the peanut butter flavor was quite strong and really needed the chocolate to counter the taste. Even with the ends of the cannoli shells dipped in dark chocolate, there wasn't enough. Upon discovering this, I drizzled the rest of my melted chocolate over the rest of the cannolis. Perfect.
Shells
makes about 40
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp vegetable shortening
6-7 tbsp sweet Marsala wine (I used Riesling and it turned out just fine)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
vegetable oil, for deep frying
Dark chocolate, for dipping
Special Equipment:
Cannoli tubes
Deep fryer (a large pot can be used with a thermometer)
Directions
Sift the flour, salt, sugar, and cocoa into a bowl. Mix to combine. Add the vegetable shortening and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Continuing to mix on low speed, add 6 tbsp of Marsala one tablespoon at a time. Mix until dough begins to come together - if it doesn't, add some or all of the remaining Marsala. Knead the dough for a few minutes on an unfloured work surface, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for an hour.
Heat the vegetable oil to 350°-360° F. (The oil should be at least 4in deep)
Separate the dough into two pieces and keep one wrapped in the plastic wrap. On a lightly floured surface, roll the other out until it's about 1/16in thick. Cut out circles that are about 2 1/2in in diameter (or just long enough to fit around the cannoli tube). Wrap the dough around the tube and dab a small amount of egg white inbetween where each end of the shell meets. Do NOT let the egg white touch the tube - it'll attach the tube to the shell and you'll have quite a time getting the shell off. If your cannoli tubes are long enough, you can put two cannolis on each tube. After putting the dough on the tube, put it into the deep fryer for about about 45-60seconds, until the shells are browned and have formed bubbles. While the shells are frying, turn them over once or twice so the bottom doesn't burn.
When done, set the shells on a plate covered in paper towels. Use either a hot pad or tongs to grip one side of the cannoli tube and slide the cannoli shell off. Let the tube cool before wrapping more dough around it. Continue this until all dough is used.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, making sure not to burn it. Dip the ends of the shells in the chocolate and set on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Peanut Butter Mousse
Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy cream
8oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
In a small bowl, beat heavy cream on low-medium speed until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until combined. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream until mostly combined, then add the rest of the whipped cream. Cover and chill until ready to use.
To Assemble:
Fill a frosting bag with the peanut butter mousse. Use any frosting tip you want to. Take a cannoli shell and fill it about half way on one side. Flip it around and fill it the rest of the way, making sure there isn't a gap in the middle. Repeat until all cannoli shells are filled.
At this point, you can taste a cannoli and decide whether or not it has enough chocolate for you. If not, set the cannolis back on the cookie sheet with the wax paper and drizzle more chocolate over them until you have your desired amount of chocolate.
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