Cannoli is a fabulous, special occasion treat. The reason? It takes time to make, patience to create, and the perfect recipe. I’m lucky enough to have one of those. But, with time so limited these days, I wanted to find out if a pre-made shell could help me bring back those memories.

Cannoli Is a Family Honored Tradition  

Cannoli is more than a sweet, crisp bite of decadence. Much like every other Italian dish made in an authentic, only Italian-speaking household, food is not just about nourishment. It’s an expression of love, caring for people, and demonstrating time-honored traditions passed down through generations.

Many cultures have these traditions. But, for Italians, it’s not just the art of creating fabulous treats like these. Spending time with an older family member and learning the time-tested traditions for making the perfect cannoli was as valuable as inheriting precious heirlooms. True First-Generation Italians carried on these traditions in the U.S.

That was the story of my Aunt Rosa, more specifically, Zia Rosa. She didn’t know a word of English, even after spending two decades here, raising nine children. Her children, my cousins, were older than I, but every now and then, I had the opportunity to spend the day with her in her kitchen, learning.

I loved every moment of it. Her way of showing love to us was spoiling us with constant goodies, and cannoli were a special treat.

Time has passed quickly, and Zia is no longer with us. Yet, every wedding celebration is met with a big cannoli display, and each bite brings that feeling back. A time-tested and authentic experience, it seems impossible that a boxed product could create those same experiences. But I wanted to find out.

Golden Cannoli Try Out: Could It Work as Italian Traditions Say?

I’ve made cannoli shells using my aunt’s recipe for many years, but it is a labor of love, one that takes just the right environment. The perfect shell makes the entire experience.

• Crispy cannoli shells: They have to be crisp and flaky. If it doesn’t start to crumble when you bite it, it’s not authentic.
• The right level of sweetness: That same shell has to have just the right level of sweetness. Because the filling tends to be dense and sweet, the shell cannot be overly sugared, as I’ve seen many recipes call for.
• Airy and light: The shell shouldn’t be heavy itself. However, it’s got to be well-made to hold that thick deliciousness within.
• Sizing matters: While cannoli can be larger, up to six inches, they can also be smaller for more of a bite-sized choice. For weddings and gatherings, these smaller versions were commonly used. After all, you had no less than 30 desserts to try.
• A wrapped present: Another key is the actual wrap-like design of the shell. It’s supposed to be a gift, as Zia would say, with a sweet prize inside.

I received the Traditional Cannoli Shell Party Pack from Golden Cannoli to try them out. It came with 54 shells, about 3 inches in length.

A Warning to Readers

Let’s be frank. I wasn’t expecting to have a cannoli, which is great. I honestly thought it would be a “good enough” situation, and the filling I made would compensate. This is an honest review, then, of what I experienced.

Sunday dinners, another Italian tradition, are the perfect way to try out something like this. Bring a bunch of cannoli, don’t say anything, and see what the diehard, unnervingly honest family has to say.

The Cannoli Shell Out of the Box and Italian Tradition 

I was surprised, first off, that the shells made it to me across the country in great condition. They were perfect, and they had the wrapped-up look. That’s more important than you realize. So many products are just shells mass-produced to be in the shape of a cannoli, but not hand-folded like this. It’s the gift-giving aspect of these sweet treats.

I was surprised that the shells had a bit of heft to them. Again, the right balance of light and flaky crust with an actual substance to them so they could hold up. I ate one and found it to be flaky and a bit more savory than I expected. It was good, not okay, but really good. You could easily just munch on the cannoli if you didn’t have the time to prep the filling.

Creating the Perfect Cannoli

Remember, my tradition is to share the experience with others, so there was no question that my daughter had to be with me to make these treats. We pulled out our family recipe book (we know the recipe well enough to make it, but having that book on the counter is part of the experience). Whipping up our plain cannoli filling and adding bits of chopped dark chocolate, we were ready to go.

Because of this project, the memories of my aunt kept resurfacing. I remember her kitchen as if it were yesterday. It was in the basement of their ranch home and just down the stairs, with a big counter. I had to sit at the table and keep my fingers out of the way while she made the Italian pastry, expertly mixing and kneading. She then wrapped each one around the dowels. 

She would smile, ear-to-ear, and chuckle, “See!” “Now you.”

I never managed to wrap them as well as she did, tightly around the long, thin tubes that I came from the Old Country. Then, I was instructed, “Stay, I do.” She would walk over to the stove, and I can still remember the sound of frying and popping. She would pull them out, touch them (don’t try this at home), and say, “Good.”

I shared these memories with my daughter while we talked about my aunt’s home and the chicken coop out back. We carefully filled each shell using our too-modern pastry filling bags and metal tips.

Then, the hardest part of the entire experience was next. The wait.

Zia Rosa was a smart woman. She knew that preparing those sweet treats, putting them into the very cold fridge in the basement, and then sending us upstairs for dinner meant we would eat every single bite of our meal. We knew that if we didn’t, we were not getting a cannoli (or three).

Our Verdict

So, what’s the reality with the shipped cannoli from Golden Cannoli? Shells: The shells were made like Zia made them. They were a little sweeter than what I remember, but absolutely perfect in crispiness and flakiness.

• Cannoli filling process: I was surprised that they held up so well when we added the cream to them. It was actually rather simplistic.
• Presentation: They also had some pistachio toppings and fun sprinkles that I let my son add to his. It almost felt like Christmas cookie making, another time-honored tradition, in the middle of June.

Inferior shells – like those I’ve bought at grocery stores in the last few years – were always soggy and limp, even when chilling the cannoli for an hour. That’s not going to help with a big celebration.

Golden Cannoli shells did really well. They were still super crisp after dinner, even filled with the cream about two hours before. When I brought them out and set them down for my family, they started to disappear. Some thought I had spent the morning making shells. My uncle, the oldest member still living from my Zia’s generation, said, “These are good. Almost like Zia.”

What a compliment that was. Then, he told us about growing up in Italy and his mother making cookies, as he called them. “I miss my mother. She was a good lady.”

It’s incredible how a simple “cookie” can span generations of love. It was one of the best Sunday dinners we’ve had in a very long time.

Contributed by Sandy B in Ohio