Renaud Family's Italian Cannoli Recipe

You will need 4 , 1 inch dowels, 8 inches each in length.
Oil for frying in iron fry pan.
4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 eggs and save 1 egg yolk to seal the shells.
2 Tblsp. spoons margarine, 3 tsp. each Vanilla and Almond extract
Mix dry ingredients adding the margarine, cutting it in.
In separate bowl beat 3 eggs plus 1 egg white, add vinegar and flavorings.  Blend well.
Add this to flour mixture, stir with fork then use hands and turn onto floured board.
If dry, add cold water by Tablespoons and knead dough until smooth.  Divide into
48 pieces about the size of a walnut. Roll each very thin on a well floured board.
Roll to about 5 inches in diameter rounds, about the size of a saucer.
Wrap around the cannoli dowel mold and seal with a bit of the beaten egg yolk.
Drop into hot oil - 375° in iron frying pan.  Turn dowel so as to brown nicely on all sides.
Remove and place on paper bags to cool slightly and then gently remove the shell
from the dowel.  Makes 48 cannoli shells.
CREAM FILLING:
1 quart whole milk, 9 Tblsps.cornstarch, 1 tsp. each of vanilla and almond extract, 1 tsp.
cinnamon, 1/2 cup of chocolate chip bits, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup powdered sugar--
(to dust the finished cannoli ).  Almond nut slices.  In large saucepan pour in about 1 cup
of the 2% milk . Mix white sugar, cornstarch and add to saucepan. Mix together until smooth
and then add the remaining quart of milk and cook until thick, as a pudding.  Remove from heat
add flavorings, chopped nuts and cinnamon.  WHEN COLD add the chocolate bits, folding into
pudding.  This recipe fills about 12 cannoli shells.
Fill the shells with the cream filling using a teaspoon. When filled, dip ends in the sliced almonds
and dust with powdered sugar.  Keep refrigerated, or eat as soon as you fill them so they don't
get soft.  Another tip:  Only fill what you are going to eat right away.