Craving Cannolis But Pressed For Time? Use Ice Cream Cones Instead

Cannoli — the beloved Italian dessert that became a favorite all over the world — might look like a simple dish, but making it from scratch is a multi-step process. The cream itself is simple enough, but the cannoli shell requires kneading, rolling, resting, and shaping before it's even time to fry. A hack making rounds on the internet not only skips some of those steps, it eliminates them. You just have to be prepared to break from tradition to try the tip. 

If you're in a pinch, you can swap a standard cannoli's from-scratch shell with a slightly surprising but totally sensible dupe: an ice cream cone. You'll still make that inimitable, creamy filling yourself, but you'll ultimately pipe it into those petite, pointy vehicles in lieu of the classic, open-ended tubes. By acting as a ready-made cannoli shell, this alternative use for an ice cream cone cuts the ingredient list for the famed Sicilian dessert in half. It also eliminates the need for frying, reducing both cooking and clean-up time in the process.

If you have a proprietary cannoli cream recipe, a celeb chef favorite, or a hand-written old index card passed down from generation to generation, by all means, repurpose that formula here. The typical sugar cones found in most grocery stores will probably have a similar enough flavor profile to an actual cannoli shell, depending on the brand. That similarity will eliminate the need to worry about recalibrating the filling's sweetness to accommodate this substitution.

Absent your own blueprint, cannoli filling typically uses a base of ricotta or mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar. You can also add flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest. For the cones, try adding melted chocolate and assorted toppings like crushed nuts or maraschino cherries. If you don't have mascarpone on hand, plenty of other recipes leave it out. Instead, you might add cream cheese or heavy cream into the mix. Either scenario requires a small appliance like a blender or a hand mixer, plus piping bags for a fancy finish.

As hacks go, ice cream cone cannolis are a respectful tribute — an affectionate homage to their source material — without going too far afield. That ancestor who passed down the hypothetical recipe card, for example, might roll their eyes at this modern interpretation, but that same progenitor certainly wouldn't be rolling over in their grave over the simple exchange. Plus, the time you'll save otherwise kneading, rolling, and shaping dough, negotiating oil temperatures, and eventually tidying up all the finicky stuff can be better spent enjoying the fruits of your now lighter labors.

Just as importantly, this ice cream cone cannoli hack better approximates the real treats you'll find lining Italian bakery cases than many other purported ingredient alternatives, promising shortcuts that really just fall short. As a quick cannoli replacement, the tastes and textures are handily achieved here, just with a fun, upturned twist.