When I was growing up, every Saturday after dance class we’d pick up a pizza for dinner from an Italian restaurant near my house. Every once in a while we’d get cannolis because they had *the* best homemade cannolis. I’m super snobby about cannolis (and tirimisu) and I promise these will not disappoint. I was always intimidated by cannolis because I was afraid that the shell wouldn’t hold together without eggs. I also wasn’t going to buy special tubes to form them. I put off trying to make them for the longest time and now I realize how silly that was because these are incredibly simple! Recipe is at the bottom of the post.
The ingredients are fairly straight forward. I used EnerG egg replacer, but Bob’s Red Mill would probably work too. I didn’t use my usual flax/chia eggs since I didn’t want to see them in the shell.
The other shortcut I took, which turned out really well, was baking them. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of frying them. The only tricky part of the whole recipe is forming them as SOON as the edges of the cookies start to brown. Don’t overcook or take too long or they won’t bend neatly.
If you don’t form them fast enough, don’t worry because you’ll end up with tasty sugar cookies. I made 6 at a time on one baking sheet, but it might be easier, at least to start, to do 3 or 4 at a time, and then baking the next batch, that way you can roll them before they start to set.
Another great thing about this recipe is that you can basically use 1 medium bowl and a cookie sheet. I used a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup to mix the shell batter and the filling. There are no complicated ingredients, and clean up is a breeze.
Another note, I’m the worst baked goods decorator EVER, but it’s easy to make these look pretty. I piped the filling in using a pastry bag, but don’t worry about making them look nice at that point. Decorate with mini chocolate chips and powdered sugar/cinnamon, and they’ll get eaten so fast no one will notice if they’re not perfect.
- Cannoli Shells
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 faux eggs (I used EnerG egg replacer)
- 1 tbsp oil (I used organic canola, but you can use coconut or something else)
- 1 tbsp non-dairy margarine, melted (I prefer Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup flour
- Filling
- 1/2 cup vegan ricotta (I use Tofutti brand)
- 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese (again, I like Tofutti)
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 1 cup confectioners sugar (plus more if desired)
- Optional for Garnish
- Chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Lightly spray a baking sheet with baking spray.
- Whisk together the sugar, and faux eggs.
- Add in oil, non-dairy margaine, and vanilla.
- Whisk in flour, until smooth.
- Using a tablespoon, spoon batter onto greased baking sheet. Each cookie should be a heaping tablespoon-2 tablespoons. This should make about 6 cannoli shells.
- The cookies should be fairly thin and will need room between each to spread out a little more.
- Bake 7 to 8 minutes, and be very careful not to over cook.
- As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, one at a time, roll into a tube shape and place on a dish, seam side down. They do not have to be perfect, but you will need to work quickly or they will not bend.
- Whisk together the ricotta and cream cheese until fairly smooth.
- Add in orange extract.
- Whisk in confectioner’s sugar. Start with half a cup, and then add in 1/4 of a cup at a time.
- The more sugar you add, the stiffer the filling will be. If you use less, it will be creamier. Add sugar til it’s the consistency desired.
- Spoon or pipe the filling into the cannoli shells. You can use a pastry bag, or a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off. This doesn’t have to be pretty.
- Garnish with mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
My Vegan Adventures 
Hello … I was just wondering what you used to form the cannoli shells after they baked … Did you hand roll them or use a cannoli tube? Looking forward to trying the recipe.
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Hi there! I use my fingers to form the shell. I just roll them gently and quickly. I’m sure using a cannoli tube is easier, but totally not necessary.
-Christine
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