The fried Sicilian cannoli shells are golden and crispy cylindrical shells ready to be filled, as per the original recipe, with delicate sheep ricotta mixed with vanilla, powdered sugar, candied fruit, chocolate chips, or pistachio granules or with mixed creams according to your taste.
The flavor of the cannoli is unmistakable, and the contrast between the crunchy outer shell and the creamy filling is a winning combination to delight all palates.
They are truly delicious and can now be found every day in southern pastry shops.
These flaky shells or skins, known by various names, are simply made with flour, Marsala, cocoa, honey, sugar, and butter, a dough rolled into many thin circles that are rolled over metal tubes or rods, then fried in hot oil.
The shell needs to be crispy, flaky with many bubbles, which is why you should let the dough rest and roll it out very thin with the pasta machine.
Once fried, the shells should be carefully removed and allowed to cool before being filled.
The ready cannoli should be consumed after a few hours and not later, otherwise, the shell loses its crispness, I recommend storing the shells in a closed container and filling them just before serving.
You can always seal the inside of the shells with melted dark chocolate so that the creaminess of the filling doesn’t soften the shell.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 20
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 fl oz Marsala wine (or rosé wine)
- 2 tbsps brown sugar
- 2 tbsps butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- as needed peanut oil (for frying)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pasta Roller
- 1 Pastry Cutter
- 20 Metal Tubes
- 1 Pot
- 1 Stovetop
Steps
In a bowl or stand mixer, mix the flour with cocoa, add the Marsala, sugar, and the rest of the ingredients, knead everything well; it should be a fairly stiff dough. If it is too crumbly, add a small splash of milk.
Leave the dough to rest covered with plastic wrap for at least 1/2 hour in a cool place.
Once rested, roll out the dough with a rolling pin or better yet, a pasta machine, into a fairly thin sheet. Cut out circles with a round cutter in your desired size, either large or small, brush the tubes used to shape the cannoli with oil or butter. I made small cannoli.
Wrap the dough around the tube and seal the closure well by wetting with water or, if you prefer, with egg white.
Pour peanut oil into a small pot or deep pan and heat it up, but not too hot, fry the shells wrapped around the tubes slowly, turn them well for even cooking, the shells should be golden and bubbly.
Drain on paper towels, let them cool, and then carefully remove the crunchy shells from the tubes.
You can fill the cannoli with a piping bag with ricotta cream or mixed creams according to your taste, garnish the cannoli with orange peel, chocolate chips, or pistachio granules.
For the ricotta cream:
Strain drained sheep ricotta until very fine, add powdered sugar, a few drops of vanilla, mix well, if preferred add chocolate chips, place in a piping bag and fill the cannoli, decorate them and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Storage and Tips
The shells can be stored in a hermetically sealed container to maintain their crispness, and filled as needed. Alternatively, to prevent them from softening on contact with the cream, brush the inside with melted dark chocolate as an insulator, and fill once cooled, so the shell prepared in advance stays crispy.
