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Cannoli recipe from Scratch (Shells and Filling)
Cannoli recipe is a traditional Sicilian pastry dessert that consists of a fried and crispy pastry shell - "cannolo" - stuffed with a creamy ricotta filling and chocolate chips.They are then decorated with icing sugar and pistachios or candied fruit, which are sprinkled on top of the filling that comes out of the cannoli. A real feast!
Ingredients
For the Cannoli Shells
- 200 g flour about 1 ⅓ cups
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 20 g lard about 1 ½ tablespoons, softened or butter
- 1 teaspoon coffee powder You can use instant coffee
- 35 g powdered sugar 4 ½ tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 50 ml Marsala wine ¼ cup
- 2 liters oil about 8 cups, canola or peanut oil for frying
For the Cannoli Filling
- 500 g ricotta 1.1 pound
- 180 g granulated sugar ~1 cup
- 60 g chocolate chips ½ cup
- pistachios chopped, candied cherries (or any other candied fruit you like) for decoration
- powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions
MAKE THE CANNOLI SHELLS
- Get ready with all the ingredients and start making cannoli recipe by placing the flour in a large bowl.
- Add the icing sugar, cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, coffee powder and fine salt.
- Mix with a wooden spoon, then add lard or butter (at room temperature), depending on what you have chosen as an ingredient.
- Add the egg and stir, mixing the ingredients. Finally add the Marsala wine.
- Use your hands to knead the ingredients right in the bowl. When the dough forms a fairly compact ball, place it on the table and continue to knead for another 5 minutes.
- When the dough is smooth and homogeneous, shape it into a loaf. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Take the Sicilian cannoli dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin until it's about 3 mm (1/10 inch) thick.
- Cut it into discs using a 10 or 12 cm (4 or 5 inch) diameter pastry ring (or cup). Gently remove the disc from the work surface.
- Wrap the dough disk around the cannoli tube. IMPORTANT TIP: Moisten the ends of the disk with a little cold water and press them together. This will seal the cannoli and prevent them from opening during cooking.
- Fry the cannoli in plenty of oil for a minute or two. When golden brown, remove from the oil, drain on paper towels and allow to cool. Remove the cannoli from the tubes.
MAKE THE FILLING
- Strain the ricotta. PLEASE NOTE: the ricotta must be rather dry, that's why sheep's milk ricotta is preferred. You can also use cow's milk ricotta, but it must be drained for at least 1 full day. Otherwise your cannoli filling will be too runny.
- Then place the ricotta in a bowl, add the sugar and mix.
- Add the chocolate chips, mix well and store in the fridge till the moment to serve.
- So now it's the time to fill our homemade cannoli. Let's start with filling a pastry bag with the ricotta and chocolate filling. Take the cannoli (which in the meantime you have kept at room temperature) and fill them with cream with the help of the pastry bag.
- Finally decorate with chopped pistachios and candied fruit. Place thm in a serving dish, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. The cannoli recipe wasn't that hard to make after all!
Notes
IMPORTANT: cannoli must be filled ONLY at the time of serving, this to prevent the shells from becoming too soft. If you want to have them already filled you will have to line the inside of the cannoli with a layer of chocolate.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 10gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 353mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 434IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 2mg
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