How to make Italian Cream Filled Cannoncini

The Crisp and Buttery Italian Cream Filled Cannoncini. There is an Italian pastry called “cannoncini”, which means “little cannons”.

These are a bit like cannoli, but filled with pastry cream instead of ricotta cheese.

Cannoncini are very similar to cream sticks.

See below for a recipe for the pastry and the filling.

SERVING:

Makes: 10 Cannoncini

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:

•  
• 1 cup cake or pastry flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2-1/4 cups flour (all-purpose unbleached)
• 1 cup cold water (plus 1-2 tablespoons if needed)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar

Filling:

• 1-1/2 cups Pastry Cream (See recipe below)

METHOD:

1. Mix both flours together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in salt.
3. Add butter and work it in with your fingertips, or pastry blender until 20 mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Mix 1 cup water and the lemon juice and gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with fork until evenly moistened and dough begins to clean sides of bowl.
5. If too may dry, add a bit more water 1 tablespoon as a time, as needed out Turn out onto floured work surface and press (DO NOT KNEAD) dough together, then roll into an 8″x l0″ rectangle, 1/4-1/2-inch thick.
6. Cut 1-inch-wide strips.
7. Butter cannoli sticks or other dough shaping forms.
8. Wrap one strip of dough around each,moistening it with a brush while rotating the form or stick, overlapping the dough about 1/4-inch as you wrap beginning at one end of the stick and ending at the opposite end, to create the cannon shape.
9. Lightly brush the outside of the dough shells with beaten egg and then roll in sugar.
10. Place 2 inches apart on lined baking sheet. (They may be refrigerated, covered for 30 minutes or frozen, if wrapped airtight, prior to baking.)
11. Heat oven to 400.
12. Bake until lightly browned and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
13. Cool completely on a rack, then gently move cannons from forms using tip of a knife.
14. Just before serving, fill pastry bag with Pastry Cream and pipe into each cannon.
15. If desired, the ends, be dipped in chocolate chips and/or the shells lightly dusted and with confectioners’ sugar.

Crema Pasticcera (Pastry Cream)

Yields 2 CUPS

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/3 cup light cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

METHOD:

In a sauce pan over low heat, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the cream.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, whole eggs, cornstarch, salt and remaining sugar.

Vigorously beat in the scalded cream and cook it without boiling for a few minutes until the cream thickens.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and grated lemon rind.

Let mixture cool,then chill it.

This recipe provides 2 cups pastry cream. (It may be kept under refrigeration 2-3 days only; do not freeze it).

Recipe from: http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1222F06.htm

Buon Mangiata!

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