The Original Cannoli Chips are a product of Golden Cannoli, a Boston-based company founded in the 1970s specializing in cannoli shells and filling. While they got their start slangin’ high quality cannoli components to bakeries in the greater Boston area, they accidentally stumbled upon magic when sampling their shells at a trade show. The reception to the broken pieces of fried dough was so great that they ran out faster than they could distribute them, and as such, the cannoli chip was born.

Potential spoiler alert: I’m a fan of Cannoli Chips. I first got wind of them when they got distribution at Walmart in 2016, and when I was finally able to get my hands on them I was surprisingly amazed. I never posted about them here, but tried a couple of flavors and confessed my love via Instagram. With the launch of their new Lemon flavor the company reached out to me about sending some samples so I thought it was appropriate to give them a proper feature on the skillet. Ladies and gentlemen – The Original Cannoli Chip.

Powdered Sugar

This is what I would call the “original” Original Cannoli Chip, with a simple dusting of powdered sugar on top of little triangles of cannoli shell. Put bluntly, these chips kick ass. They’re crunchy and crumbly yet soft on the chew with an incredibly unique flavor that’s fatty and fried tasting yet not greasy at all. Even more unique is their ability to be a snack that’s both sweet and savory without any saltiness, and something that I genuinely have never gotten sick of despite devouring many bags.

The Powdered Sugar Cannoli Chip is a perfect snack, one that is unlike anything else on the market. They’re delicious on their own or paired with a sweet dip or crumbled on top of ice cream or yogurt. I love these things, and I honestly can’t think of any way to make them better. They remind me of doughnuts and funnel cake and all types of other wonderful things you can’t buy in a bag. And with a very similar, even slightly more friendly nutritional profile to regular potato chips, I’ll take these any day.

Rating: 10/10

Lemon

The Lemon Cannoli chips take a very similar approach to the Original, with a lighter dusting of powdered sugar and slight yellow glow. They have a great authentic citrus-y lemon flavor with hints of zest that remind me of Barnum’s Animals Crackers in the best way.

While the lemon is still a really great snack, it’s not quite as crave-able as the powdered sugar ones. They’re a bit less sweet and the presence of acidic lemon takes away from some of the unique fried flavor that I find so intriguing with the simplicity of powdered sugar, but the refreshing nature of lemon makes them a worthy addition to any snack pantry.

Rating: 9/10

Cinnamon & Sugar

Given my personal bias and affinity for all things cinnamon it should come as no surprise that I also really like these a lot. The cinnamon takes center stage over the sugar, and while still a nice sweet treat, they come across as the most savory of the bunch. The cinny flavor is deep and robust with a pleasant warming sensation that works really well with the crispy fried base.

The overall flavor of these reminds me distinctly of a cinnamon sugar cake doughnut, and that’s a really great thing. Somehow the presence of the cinnamon makes the chip taste more buttery than greasy, and I can pop these back nonstop.

Rating: 9.5/10

Cookies & Cream

The Cookies & Cream Cannoli Chip are the most divergent in the lineup, and still really good. The standard cannoli flavored shell is replaced with a chocolate one that has a rich deep bittersweet cocoa flavor and crunchy yet subtly soft texture. They remind me a lot of the Oreo wafer cookie, with a nice dusting of powdered sugar in lieu of the crème filling.

While these are the least unique of the bunch I still really enjoy them, and the sweet yet savory balance of the original powered is still intact. Even though they’re a less stand out profile, I still can’t think of many other chocolate flavored chips, aside from those weird 100 calorie pack Oreo things and these are way better than those.

Rating: 9/10

Cannoli Chips are a legitimately delicious and well-conceived product that I truthfully can’t recommend enough. Any flavor will leave you satisfied, and with bags now available at Walmart, Whole Foods, and Safeway, there’s no excuse to not give them a shot.
Retail: $3.99 per bag

Note: These were sent to me for free but that in no way influenced my opinion of them. I was a paying customer for well over  a year before receiving anything and I promise my thoughts are authentic!