Cannoli are a traditional Italian dessert of a cookie formed into a tube and then filled with a cream filling. You can use anything to mold the cookies into tubes or cone shapes. I simply used the round metal barrel of my turkey baster to make 1” round cannoli tubes. It takes a lot of practice to get the cookie batter the right consistency, to bake them to the right doneness, to form them at the right time while they are still warm, and for the cannoli to hold their shape. If you don’t want the trouble, you can find prepared cannoli tubes in Italian markets and specialty grocery shops.

In true Corleone fashion, the cannoli should be eaten using the fingers and served with very strong espresso and sweet sparkling wine.

Lemon Cannoli Tubes
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
6oz. milk chocolate chips, melted
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Combine the powdered sugar, flour, melted butter and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is the consistency of a thick batter. Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 400F. Line a flat baking sheet with a non-stick “silpat” silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the batter onto the baking sheet. Gently spread the batter out so that it is in a very thin round about 4" in diameter. The batter will expand and spread during baking.

Bake the cannoli batter for 10-12 minutes or until the batter has spread and is bubbling and the cookie is golden brown. The cookie should look “lacey” with little holes. Bake one cookie at a time so that you have time to mold it into a tube shape when it comes out of the oven.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookie cool for 2 minutes.

While the cookie is still warm and pliable, gently remove the cookie using a spatula and then immediately wrap the warm cookie around a 1-2" diameter round shape. Form the cookie around the mold so that it becomes a tube shape.

Let the cannoli tubes cool to room temperature on a cookie rack.

Place the chopped walnuts in a small bowl.

Place the milk chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Gently melt the chips, stirring until the chocolate is smooth. Turn the heat off, but keep the chocolate over the warm water while you fill the cannoli.

Dip each end of the cannoli tubes into the warm milk chocolate and then dip each end of the tubes into the chopped walnuts.

The cannoli tubes can be made in advance and then kept in a tightly covered container until ready to fill and serve.

Mascarpone Cherry Cream
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup Kirsch, (cherry brandy)
1 cup whipping cream
8oz. Mascarpone cheese

Place the cherries in a small bowl and pour the kirsch over the cherries. Let the cherries steep in the kirsch for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Drain the dried cherries from the kirsch, reserving the liquid. Note: use this “cherry brandy” liquid to spoon over vanilla ice cream. Roughly chop the cherries.

In a mixer bowl, whip the mascarpone until it is soft.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

With the mixer running, spoon the mascarpone into the mixing bowl with the whipped cream and whip on low speed until the mascarpone and whipped cream are thoroughly combined.

Gently fold the chopped cherries into the mascarpone cream.

Spoon some of the mascarpone cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large tube so that the cherries can pass through.

Pipe some of the mascarpone cream into each end of the cannoli tube, filling the tube full of the cream mixture.