Vegan Cannoli

Instructions

1. Add flour, granulated sugar, and 1/8 tsp. salt to a small mixing bowl and mix well. To another small bowl, add Marsala wine, 1 1/2 tbsp. aquafaba, almond milk, and sunflower oil and mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a fork or fingers to form a dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough until it's smooth, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky to knead, you can add a little flour, but don't add too much. (The more flour you add, the harder it will be to roll out).
3. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a saute pan or small pot over medium heat. On the counter near the pan, lay out some paper towels underneath a wire cooling rack.
4. Divide your dough into two balls, and use a rolling pin to roll the first one out very thin, about 1/16" (1.5 mm) thick. Use a large biscuit cutter (or the edge of a glass) to cut circles from the dough. You should use a cutter that's a bit smaller than your cannoli forms.
5. Repeat with the second ball of dough until all the dough has been used up. You can reroll the scraps of dough if needed.
6. Place a cannoli form on top of your dough circle and wrap the edges of the dough around the form. I usually wrap them loosely so that they're easier to take off after they're cooked. Brush some aquafaba on the edges of the dough and press to seal. (Be sure to press well, as you don't want the edges to come apart during frying).
7. Use tongs to place one or more cannoli in the hot oil (leave enough room for them to move around). Fry until golden and bubbly (about 30 seconds), then use the tongs to turn the cannoli over and fry the other side. Remove from the oil with the tongs, let the excess oil drip off into the pan, then place on the wire rack to cool and drain.
8. Once they're cool enough to handle, gently pull the cannoli from the forms. (If you want to remove the cannoli from the forms while they're still hot, protect your hands with clean kitchen towels or oven mitts).
9. Prepare your filling: Squeeze your tofu slightly to remove excess water (don't press it, you'll want to retain some of the water). Then break it up and add it to a blender or food processor. Add in lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and cinnamon, and blend until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until you've reached the desired sweetness. (I used 1/2 cup).
10. Transfer the tofu ricotta filling to a large bowl and stir in mini chocolate chips, if desired.
11. Prepare a pastry bag with a large round or star tip and fill it with your filling mixture, leaving enough room at the top to twist the bag closed. Use a twist tie to close the bag, then pipe the filling into your shells. You can fill half of the shell from one side, then turn the shell around and fill the other side.
12. Dip the ends of the cannoli in crushed pistachios or mini chocolate chips, if desired. Dust with some vegan powdered sugar, and enjoy!

For the most accurate flour measurement, switch to metric and weigh your flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup before leveling it off; don't scoop the cup into the flour.

Make sure your dough is rolled very thin. If it's not thin enough, you'll end up with soft shells.

You could also seal the shells with water or almond milk, but I found that the aquafaba has the best holding power.

If you removed too much water from your tofu and can't get a smooth consistency in the blender, you can always add some water or almond milk 1/2 tbsp. at a time to get a smoother consistency.

Be cautious adding powdered sugar; the more powdered sugar you add to your ricotta, the thinner it will get.

Only fill as many shells as you'll eat right away. For the leftovers, store the shells in an airtight container at room temperature; the filling in the refrigerator.

Some wines are filtered using animal products. Check the post above for suggestions on finding a vegan Marsala wine.