Pumpkin Spice Cannoli
These Pumpkin Spice Cannoli are packed with pumpkin and your favorite Fall spices. They’re a great treat for a cool Autumn evening!
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Me: “Sure you don’t need to go to the doctor today?”
Laura: “Yes, I’m sure.”
Me: “Absolutely positively sure?”
Laura: “Yes, but you can still go get us some cannoli.”
That conversation happened on more than one occasion in the weeks before Robbie was born. I guess I should explain. Laura’s obstetrician’s office was about 5 minutes away from our house…and it was conveniently located right next door to an Italian bakery. In the weeks leading up to Robbie being born the stork dropping off a package on our doorstep, Laura’s doctor’s appointments became more and more frequent. I tried to go along to as many appointments as possible for support…and cannoli.
Laura’s doctor’s appointments were almost always late morning, and that meant we were hungry by the time we saw the doctor and made our way out of the office. And the temptation of the Italian bakery right next door was just too much. And then somehow the cannoli became a regular treat. In fact, during the last few days, I’m pretty sure I went and got cannoli every.single.day. It helped that these cannoli were seriously some of the best we’d ever eaten. (And with Laura being half-Italian, we’ve certainly eaten our fair share of cannoli over the years.)
In fact, Laura’s parents came up to stay with us before Robbie was born, and I remember going in and ordering a box of cannoli for the entire family. I just had to share this treat with everyone! After Robbie was born, I remember Laura’s parents asking if we needed anything from home. I was tempted to say a cannoli, but since Laura was confined to a diet of hospital food, I didn’t want to be rude like that. Instead, I just ate my cannoli in the hallway. (Kidding!)
Now regular (almost daily) cannoli snacks aren’t really good for the ol’ waistline, so we made ourselves stop once we got back home from the hospital. Plus, I think we were seriously too tired to even contemplate going out to pick up cannoli. If there was a free second in those first few months, we were asleep. I kid you not.
Pumpkin Spice Cannoli
Now that Robbie is almost three, we’ve finally caught up on our sleep. We’ve managed not to resume our cannoli habits, but I still couldn’t resist the temptation to a make these Pumpkin Spice Cannoli. Filled with both pumpkin as well as seasonal spices, these Pumpkin Spice Cannoli make for a yummy treat for sure! Laura and I totally ate one of these on a recent Friday night while reminiscing about those early days when Robbie was first born…well, at least what we could remember from those days!
These Pumpkin Spice Cannoli are packed with your favorite Fall flavors. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice. I mean you can’t go wrong with those spices! And I did make sure to include some actual pumpkin in the filling for these Pumpkin Spice Cannoli. I also opted to just buy unfilled cannoli shells from our local bakery. Perhaps next time I’ll tackle making the shells homemade, too, but this time I chose the easier route. And talk about easy! These Pumpkin Spice Cannoli just require a little bit of mixing and then you’re ready to go.
I do recommend waiting to fill the shells until right before you serve these cannoli. If you fill them too far in advance, then the shells will become soft. In fact, that’s one of the ways I judge whether a bakery is any good. If the cannoli are sitting in the case already filled, then keep on walking. Or you can just opt to make your own cannoli at home…they’re an easy, tasty treat. If you make a batch of these Pumpkin Spice Cannoli, swing back by and let me know what you think! Cheers, friends!
If you’re looking for another fun recipe using pumpkin + ricotta, then check out this savory Whipped Pumpkin Ricotta recipe that was inspired by an incredible lunch spot that Laura and I stumbled across several years ago in Old Town Montreal. It’s delicious!
Pumpkin Spice Cannoli
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree Note: not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice see note
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
For the Cannoli
- 12 full-sized or 24 mini cannoli shells (see note)
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup fall-colored sprinkles
- powdered sugar for dusting tops
Instructions
For the Filling
- Using a medium mixing bowl, whisk the ricotta and pumpkin puree together until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract; mix until well combined.
- Using a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
For the Cannoli
- Using a pastry bag with no tip, fill each cannoli shell with the pumpkin filling.
- Place mini chocolate chips and sprinkles in a shallow bowl. Dip each end of the cannoli into mixture. Dust tops of cannoli shells with powdered sugar.
- Serve immediately. (Cannoli shells will soften once filled, so plan on filling the shells as close to serving as possible.)
Notes
What a fun twist on a classic! I’ve eaten my share of cannoli (although not as much as you and Laura it sounds like) but I’ve never made it at home. Clearly that has to change because this sounds AWESOME. I’m all about pumpkin right now so I’m adding cannoli shells to my shopping list 🙂
So if you use store-bought shells, then cannolis are super easy to make at home. You should do it! (I’ve been tempted to make my own shells, but I’ve heard they can be a bit tricky as they tend to ‘unroll’ in the fryer. Maybe some day I’ll try that out.) These pumpkin spice cannoli were delicious, and they’re a unique dessert to serve at a party, too. Just make sure to wait and fill them right before you serve ’em…otherwise the shells get soggy. Hope your week is going well, Kelsie!
Hahaha – Laura had her priorities right eh? Cannoli over doc visit! What a fantastic placement for a bakery – being right near the docs! Bet they were the beginning of a lot of love affairs with cannoli! And I don’t know why I never thought to buy cannoli shells from a bakery – thanks for that tip – though I cannot wait to see the homemade shells you whip up one day! And, speaking of whipping up… dude, this filling is insane! My hats off to you to showing enough self restraint to fill these shells and not eat that filling with a spoon cos that’s what I would have done!
Eh, I’m sure I’ll tackle homemade cannoli shells at some point as I love a good foodie project…but I’ve heard they can be tricky. And they’re just so easy to buy at the store instead! (I had to go to the bakery and ask…they weren’t out on the shelf.) And as far as eating the filling goes, I might have snacked on a spoonful or six. 🙂 Thanks, Shashi!
Hahaha – that’s too funny! Nothing like a delicious treat for a wicked bakery! Love the pumpkin spin on these, David. I have some Halloween sprinkles that I just picked up and this would be perfect for ’em with the orange and black colours – so festive. Well, truth be told, regardless of sprinkles, these would be perfect 😉 I would have a hard time not eating the whole lot of these. Truth.
You know, you’re right about the sprinkles. The pumpkin spice cannolis are delicious in and of themselves…but sprinkles just make everything better. And Halloween sprinkles? Bonus points right there! In fact, you should give out cannoli to the trick-or-treaters this year. I’ll come trick-or-treat at your house if you do that! 🙂
Oh cannoli, my love (Am I being too poetic?) I know what you mean when it comes to cannoli and willpower. There’s no any connection between those two things whatsoever. That’s the reason we enjoy homemade cannoli once – maximum twice per year, normally around Christmas. The problem is that since I make shells from scratch too (I bought even cannoli tubes, but I would use…dried canneloni pasta haha), I have a solid excuse to make a huge batch. Cause what’s the point to start all the mess to make just a few pieces, right? I think last time we ended up having like 3 dozens of shells which we easily finished during 3 or 4 days of holidays (In our excuse, we shared. A lot. Like 3 or even 5 cannoli. I might have even shipped some to you. Don’t you remember?) Anyway, I also tried pumpkin cannoli a couple of years back. The classic version is still our favorite, but the autumn twist is nice too. Also, I know you as a polite gentleman, so I expect you to ship me some of this as well 🙂 Thank you in advance!
Truth be told, I’d probably go to the classic cannoli myself, too. But I’m all in on the pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors right now. And ricotta whipped with pumpkin is magical! (It reminds me of the savory whipped ricotta dip that we had on a trip to Montreal years ago.) Now I’ve never heard of using canneloni pasta for cannoli. I think homemade cannoli shells would be awesome. Maybe you can share your tips for how to make them? And being the polite gentleman that I am, I actually already sent you a box of these cannoli. Didn’t you get it??
Ha! Loved your story about the cannoli and when Laura was pregnant and in hospital. I’m sure cannoli would have been just what the doctor ordered anyway. Helping you to cope with all that stress going on at the time. These pumpkin spice cannoli look delicious David. I especially love that mixture of spices for the pumpkin pie spice mix. Yum! Hope it gets warmer and drier for you there and that you have a nice weekend!
Hah! I’m not so sure that cannoli is what the doctor ordered. Well, then again, both Laura and I have our doctorates…so maybe these ARE what the doctor(s) ordered. 🙂 And you just can’t beat the pumpkin spice flavors! That’s one of my favorite things about Autumn. Thanks so much, Neil!
Oh, these look amazing! This is kind of sad and kind of embarrassing, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a cannoli! I’m not sure how, but I’m certain I must change that right away. To be honest, I guess I first need to find an amazing Italian bakery that makes them the right way! And then I need to make these pumpkin spice cannoli!
Oh my gosh! You definitely need to have a cannoli, Kathy. Like today! Forget making a homemade version. Find the best bakery you have in town and see if they make cannoli! And you’re right…then you can turn your attention to adding pumpkin + pumpkin spices to create this Autumn version. They’re delicious! 🙂
Cannoli? You have my envy, my friend. Our first kid brought unending broccoli cheddar soup (I know, go figure). Second kid was lasagna — but not good stuff, no, the frozen one. Good memories nonetheless. But cannoli? Love ’em. And these look great! The sprinkles are perfect too.
Broccoli cheddar soup!? Hey, there are worse fates in life. Well, that is unless the first kid arrived in the summer…because broccoli cheddar soup on a scorching summer day just doesn’t do it for me! And frozen lasagna? I understand. I do. So how about having a 3rd and then making sure cannoli is the food of choice? I think that’s a great idea! 🙂
Love this autumn twist on cannoli! Looks and sounds delicious!
Cracking up that you and Laura have caught up on your sleep now that Robbie is almost 3… 😉
Oh, I’m not so sure we’ve really caught up on our sleep, Marissa! We were each up with him last night on separate occasions. The thing is we never know what kind of night it will be. He might sleep all the way through, or he might wake up crying 4 times. But we’re adjusting! Thanks so much, my friend!
such a perfect fall treat! and wow Robbie is 3 years already? Seriously time is flying!!
Time really is flying, Manali! And, yes, that little guy is almost 3 (another 6 weeks or so). I can’t even believe it myself until I see him outgrowing his clothes! 🙂
What a beautiful combination of fall flavours, David! Would love to try one of your cannoli – I am not sure I ever had one. Such a cute story – I can imagine what a lovely treat they were after all of those doctor appointments. We are travelling to Italy next year so I will look out for them when we are there as well. Have a wonderful weekend ahead, my friend!
Oh, you should totally go hunt down some cannoli today, Miriam! I am positive that London will have some top-notch bakeries that make excellent cannoli. 🙂 And if nothing else, then I know Italy will have them! I can’t wait to hear more about your Italy trip. I love that country! Hope you have a great weekend, too. Cheers!
Delish! Didn’t know you could buy premade shells! That helps alot!
Oh man, premade shells is a game changer, Karly! I don’t have time to be making shells at home these days…haha! 🙂 Thanks so much!
David, I always love your stories. The pumpkin spice cannolis look yummy! Love the autumn spices.
Thank you so much, Dawn! 🙂 I love Autumn spices, too…they’re all of my favorite flavors combined together!