Some call them “cannoli shells”, others “cannoli crusts”; in Sicily we call them “Scoccia di Connola”, but in reality we are simply talking about the wafers of Sicilian cannoli filled with ricotta. Have you ever eaten Sicilian ricotta cannoli? If you haven’t, you must try them; if you have, I already know why you’re on this page: you want to make the recipe for the “cannoli crusts” and then fill them with plenty of delicious ricotta cream. So, without too much chit-chat, let’s get into the kitchen and get our hands doughy — you’ll see that with a few simple tips your wafers will turn out crispy and full of bubbles. Before we begin, if you want to stay updated on all the new recipes on the blog, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 25
Cooking methods: Frying
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make Sicilian cannoli wafers

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (type 0)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 1/2 tbsp lard
6 tbsp red wine (about)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red)
1 egg (small)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Tools

Metal cannoli tubes
Pan
Rolling pin

Steps to make cannoli wafers

To make the cannoli wafers, gather the flour on your work surface, form a well, add the egg, the sugar and the lard. Mix roughly, then add the vinegar, the wine and the cocoa.
The dough for the cannoli should be fairly soft, so add the wine little by little so you don’t add too little or too much. Once you have a smooth, homogeneous dough, let it rest in the fridge or in a cool place for at least 2 hours.
Then roll it out with the rolling pin into a thin sheet.
Cut out rounds of dough about 4 inches in diameter (10 centimeters), slightly elongate them to give an oval shape, moisten one side and roll them around the mold, overlapping the edges a little so they stick together. Rotate the tube between your hands so the dough adheres to the mold. Fry the cannoli in plenty of vegetable oil, turning them often and not exceeding 356°F (the oil should not be too hot and must never smoke). Remove the cannoli from the oil and let them drain on paper towels; once cool they will come off the mold easily.
The cold wafers can be filled immediately or stored in a tightly closed tin for about fifteen days, but they will lose their crispness — I recommend eating them as soon as possible.