Cannoli
Cannoli are Sicilian pastries: crisp tubes of fried dough filled with sweet ricotta cream, chocolate and orange zest. The dough is rolled thin, wrapped around metal tubes and fried until blistered, and the cream goes in just before serving.
Ingredients
- 250 gflour
- 30 gsugar
- pinchsalt
- 30 glard (or butter)
- 1 egg
- 50 mldry Marsala (or dry white wine)
- 1 tbspwhite wine vinegar
- 500 gricotta
- 150 gpowdered sugar
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 50 gfinely chopped bitter chocolate
- zest of 1 orange
- vegetable oil for frying
- chopped pistachios and powdered sugar for decorating
Method
- Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the cold lard (or diced cold butter) and knead until crumbs form. Add the egg, Marsala, and vinegar. Knead until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough thinly (about 2 mm). Cut out circles with a diameter of 10–12 cm. Wrap each circle around a metal cannoli tube, brush the overlapping edge with a little water and press it down firmly, otherwise the tube opens up in the oil.
- Pour about 5 cm of oil into a small, deep saucepan and heat it to 180°C. Fry 2–3 tubes at a time until golden and blistered (1–2 minutes). Lift each one out with tongs, wrap it in a kitchen towel and slide the shell off the metal tube while it is still warm, then cool the shells completely.
- Drain the ricotta in advance (overnight in the fridge, in cheesecloth). Mix it with the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the chocolate and orange zest.
- Fill cooled tubes with cream from a pastry bag. Dip the ends in chopped pistachios. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
FAQ
They weren't fried long enough or the oil wasn't hot enough (it should be 180°C, as in the recipe). The dough also needs to be rolled very thin — 1–2 mm. Test with a small piece: it should sizzle immediately and float to the surface.
Drain the ricotta through cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator to remove excess whey. Beat with powdered sugar (not granulated) for a smooth texture. Fold in mini chocolate chips or pistachios last.
Strictly just before serving — maximum 5–10 minutes before. If filled too early, the moisture from the filling softens the shell and destroys the crunch. If you want a dessert that can be made a day ahead instead, tiramisu is the better pick.
Yes — roll thick aluminum foil tightly into cylinders about 2 cm in diameter. Wooden dowels also work. The mold just holds the shape while frying; what's inside doesn't matter.
Empty shells keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The ricotta filling keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days. Fill only what you need, just before serving.
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Comments (2)
Come siciliano devo dire che la ricotta deve essere di pecora non di mucca!! E va scolata almeno 4 ore nel frigo altrimenti la crema è liquida. Ho notato che molti usano ricotta di mucca poi si lamentano che non viene.
I weigh every ingredient for cannoli instead of using cups. Baking is chemistry. An extra tablespoon of flour can push this from perfectly balanced to dense and heavy. A $15 scale pays for itself immediately.