Miss Confection

Sweet things from every corner of the world

🇮🇹 Palermo, Italy

Sicilian Cannoli

Blistered, crackling shells filled to order with sweet ricotta, the Palermo way

Prep
1 hr
Cook
30 min
Total
2 hr 30 min
Yield
About 20 cannoli
Level
Advanced
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The story

Cannoli belong to Palermo and to Carnival, the season of indulgence before Lent. Historians usually link them to Sicily's centuries of Arab rule, which brought sugarcane, citrus and new confectionery to the island. A popular legend credits the women of a harem near Caltanissetta, a town whose name is sometimes traced to the Arabic qal'at al-nisa, castle of the women. Another story gives the credit to nuns in a Palermo convent. Neither can be proved, but both show how old and how Sicilian the pastry is.

The name means little tubes. The shells were once wrapped around lengths of river cane and fried until they blistered. Inside goes ricotta, traditionally sheep's milk, sweetened and sometimes studded with chocolate or candied fruit. The ends are often dipped in chopped Bronte pistachios or topped with candied orange.

The most important rule comes from Sicilian pastry shops: fill cannoli just before serving. A crisp shell meeting cool, creamy ricotta is the point of the dessert. Drain the ricotta well, and fry the shells until they are blistered and golden.

Tips for success

  • Fill the shells just before serving. Unfilled shells stay crisp in an airtight tin for about a week.
  • Draining the ricotta overnight is essential. Wet ricotta makes a runny filling and soggy shells.
  • For extra-crisp shells, brush the inside with a little melted dark chocolate and let it set before filling.
  • Keep the oil at 350 to 365°F (175 to 185°C). If it is cooler, the shells absorb oil; if it is hotter, they burn before they blister.

Sicilian Cannoli

An authentic Sicilian cannoli recipe from Palermo: crisp, bubbly Marsala shells piped with sweetened ricotta and finished with pistachios and chocolate. Includes homemade shells.

Prep
1 hr
Cook
30 min
Total
2 hr 30 min
Yield
About 20 cannoli
Calories
~285/serving

Ingredients

For the ricotta filling

For the shells

To finish

Instructions

Drain the ricotta

  1. The day before, set the ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight to drain off the excess whey.

Make the dough

  1. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Rub in the lard with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  2. Add the egg and Marsala and mix into a firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth, then wrap and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Make the filling

  1. Beat the drained ricotta with the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest until smooth and creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips, cover and chill.

Shape and fry the shells

  1. Heat 3 inches (7.5 cm) of oil in a heavy pot to 360°F (180°C).
  2. Roll a quarter of the dough very thin, about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm), on a floured surface or through a pasta machine. Cut out 4-inch (10 cm) rounds.
  3. Wrap each round loosely around a lightly oiled cannoli tube, overlapping the edges. Dab egg white on the overlap and press to seal, leaving the dough a little loose so the oil can get between it and the tube.
  4. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 1 to 2 minutes, turning, until blistered and deep golden. Lift out with tongs and drain on paper towels.
  5. While the shells are still warm, hold them with a towel and slide the tubes out. Repeat with the rest of the dough, rerolling scraps once.

Fill and serve

  1. When the shells are completely cool, spoon the filling into a piping bag with a large open tip and pipe into each end so it meets in the middle.
  2. Dip the ends in pistachios or press on candied orange, dust with powdered sugar and serve right away.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/sicilian-cannoli

Questions, answered

How do you keep cannoli shells from getting soggy?

Fill them just before serving and drain the ricotta well. Brushing the inside of each shell with melted chocolate also helps keep moisture out.

What is traditional cannoli filling made of?

Traditional Sicilian filling is sweetened ricotta, ideally sheep's milk, often flavoured with cinnamon or citrus and mixed with chocolate or candied fruit. Mascarpone is a common addition outside Sicily.

Can I make cannoli without cannoli tubes?

You can wrap the dough around thick dowels of foil-wrapped cardboard or cylinders made from crumpled foil. Metal tubes are much easier and give the most even shape.

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