Cannoli shell with a waffle iron machine makes life easy and delicious for brunch or a dessert. This is a low-sugar recipe where you won’t even miss the sugar. And you can skip any frying, even though the shell is sizzling!
It tastes like it was fried. But since it’s not, it’s healthier.
You can also more-healthy bake your cannoli shell if you don’t have a waffle iron maker… that you could even further roll up into an ice cream cone if that’s what you’re after.
But a waffle iron maker makes a cannoli shell with the bubbly look in easy minutes, a lot like a copycat fried street food cannoli shell dessert you would buy!
So to make this treat, this is what you will need…
Tools:
Waffle Iron Machine
Piece of aluminum foil
Magic Bullet blender (optional)
And if you’re wondering how you’ll make your cannoli shell on your waffle iron without waffle iron marks, I explain below how to make your easy flat irons with your waffl-y iron! 🧇
This reminds me of the wavy hair vs. flat iron… and if you like playing with your hair, you’ll love playing with your food iron this way. I do with mine!
Another easy way is using a Magic Bullet blender that will make this a 2-minute prep for a smooth cannoli shell batter. And a 30 second clean rinse if you’re short on time.
But first you gotta make the batter…
So start by frothing the egg white in a Magic Bullet or easy blender by pulsing a few times. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a whisk to whisk up the egg white(s). One egg white per cannoli shell.
Light fluffy egg white(s) are crucial for this recipe where you don’t need any granulated sugar! Whaaat?
So often sugar is used to help emulsify ingredients, and in most cannoli recipes you’ll find quite a bit of sugar, but this one you can use a little healthy honey only for the sweet taste (or substitute for maple syrup).
Honey, btw is a beautiful tasty-pairing duo with butter. Where you will add just a small pat of butter for each cannoli shell you will make. About 1 Tbsp per cannoli shell. A lot of butter isn’t essential (e.g. if you’re counting fat/calories or trying to be healthy). I used 1/2 Tbsp butter per shell and it worked just fine!
And if you prefer oil already in liquid form, or want to do this quicker or dairy-free, use 1 or 1.5 tsp of neutral olive oil (or oil of choice) instead. And then add about 1/4 tsp of water for a little steam like butter does when cooking (and add back a little more flour as needed to keep a thicker batter that won’t run off the waffle maker sides).
And if healthy are your desires for this cannoli shell, the final cannoli cream for your cannoli shell can be healthy Greek yogurt like what I use.
…Where you’ll want to find a thicker Greek yogurt you like, and you can check on the label if there’s no added sugar. The lactose in yogurt already has natural sugar. You can use plant-based (no dairy) yogurts too.
Then you can pipe into your cannoli shell. How fun!
Add a few sweet mini chocolate chips for a classic cannoli. This is a delicious bite, and probably even better than it looks! You can also drizzle ontop a little honey if you like, or pair with your favorite sweet breakfast foods.
So – ready to make this?
Make the cannoli batter (recipe and step-by-step waffle iron instruction below).
Cannoli Shell - Waffle Iron Made and Low-Sugar
Equipment
- waffle iron machine
- Magic Bullet (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 tsp raw honey
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/8 tsp pinch of salt (optional)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Melt butter in heat of choice, and set aside at room temperature.
- Froth egg white with Magic Bullet blender or whisk in a bowl.
- Make the batter: if using a blender, add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until fully combined. You can shake or use a spoon to ensure all the flour is added. Or combine in your mixing bowl.
- Cook the cannoli: if you have a waffle iron with waffle grids (most do), cut two pieces of square aluminum foil that will cover the bottom and top waffle irons. Add one oil piece to the bottom iron and add the cannoli batter to the foil sitting on the iron. The batter should be slightly thicker (closer to a pancake batter) to hold a circle shape that does not run off the iron. Use a spoon to make a thin layer batter circle shape (it does not need to be perfect). Add the other piece of aluminum foil ontop of the circle and lightly close the waffle iron to not make waffle marks. Turn the iron on to medium heat (e.g. middle setting). Cook for about 3-5 minutes until browned all around after iron is heated (e.g. light turns green) and depending on your waffle iron. You can peek from time to time to lift up the aluminum foil.
- Shape the cannoli shell while still hot (for best results): turn off waffle iron. While still hot, with a safe kitchen glove in hand, roll up the hot cannoli shell (like a burrito) in the one piece of aluminum foil it's sticking to. Let cool completely.
- Reveal the cannoli: after cooled, slowly peel out the cannoli shell out of the foil. It should come out pretty easily after cooled. Be sure any small foil pieces sticking are discarded.