Cannoli
Fried shells with sweet ricotta
Cannoli siciliani: crisp fried shells with sweet ricotta cream
ItalianCannoli were once a Carnival treat in Palermo; now Sicilian pastry shops fill them all year, piping the sweet sheep's-milk ricotta cream into the crisp, bubbly shells only when you order, so they never go soft. The ends are dipped in chopped pistachios, candied orange or chocolate chips. Traditional shells are fried with lard; this version uses butter in the dough and sunflower oil to fry. You need metal cannoli tubes. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight and push it through a sieve; it makes a silky cream that holds its shape instead of a runny, grainy filling.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the shells
- 7 oz plain flour
- ⅔ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅞ oz buttersoft
- 1 eggseparated
- ¼ cup Marsala wineor dry white wine with 1 tsp vinegar
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb sheep's or cow's milk ricottadrained overnight
- 4 oz icing sugarplus extra to dust
- 1 ¾ oz dark chocolate chips
- 1 oz candied orange peelfinely chopped
To finish
- 1 oz pistachiosfinely chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz plain flour, ⅔ oz caster sugar, 1 tsp cocoa powder, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt. Rub in ⅞ oz butter, then add the yolk of 1 egg and ¼ cup Marsala wine. Knead for 5 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Wrap and rest 1 hour. Keep the egg white.
65 minStep 2: Press 1 ⅛ lb sheep's or cow's milk ricotta through a fine sieve and beat with 4 oz icing sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 ¾ oz dark chocolate chips and 1 oz candied orange peel. Chill.
Step 3: Roll the dough very thin (2 mm), using a pasta machine if you have one. Cut 10 cm circles, re-rolling scraps. You should get about 12.
Step 4: Grease the cannoli tubes lightly. Wrap a circle loosely around each tube, brush the overlap with egg white and press firmly to seal. Common mistake: wrapping too tightly; the shell shrinks as it fries and becomes impossible to slide off.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil to 350°F. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 2 minutes, until deep golden and covered in small blisters. Lift out with tongs and drain upright on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 6: When cool enough to handle (1–2 minutes), twist the tubes out gently, holding the shell in a cloth. Let the shells cool completely; they keep for 3 days in an airtight tin.
Step 7: Just before serving, pipe the ricotta cream into each shell from both ends. Dip the ends in 1 oz pistachios and dust with icing sugar. Eat within an hour.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cannoli take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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