Learn how to make delicious Sicilian style homemade cannoli’s that are stuffed up with an amazing sweet sheep’s milk ricotta cheese.
We absolutely are a dessert family and if you’re anything like us then you should definitely check out how to make my Zeppole’s and Italian Cheesecake recipes!
Cannoli
Cannolis are Sicilian, they were founded in Sicily and everyone knows them as such. There is an incredible history behind it stemming back all the way to 800-1100 a.d. During the Arabic rule of the island, the kind had quite a few concubines that would make him amazing foods and desserts. Of those desserts was a cylinder-shaped pastry filled with ricotta, almonds, and honey.
There is another tale that takes place on the opposite end of the spectrum in a convent that made a similar cylinder-shaped pastry stuffed with ricotta, sugar, and chocolate. Regardless, they are absolutely delicious, and not all that hard to make.
The few ingredients for the cannoli include:
- Flour
- Eggs
- Marsala
- Salt
- White Wine Vinegar
- Sugar
- Sheep’s Milk Ricotta
- Chocolate
How to Make the Cannoli Shells
Follow these simple instructions for how to make cannoli shells:
In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
Add in the lard, egg, white wine vinegar, and marsala wine, and knead the dough for 10-14 minutes.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to rest.
Remove the dough and place on a clean floured surface and roll it out until it is about a ¼” thick.
Using a 1 ½ circle cutter, cut as many dough rounds as possible in the dough, about 20-25.
Roll out each individual dough round until it’s about 5”-6” in diameter. Repeat until all of the rounds are rolled out.
Form each dough round around a metal cylinder cannoli mold and rub a little bit of whisked egg to help form the two ends together.
Fry in the cannoli cylinders in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until browned.
Remove the cooked cannoli shells from the oil, drain on a rack and then carefully remove them from the metal cylinders once they are cooled.
How to Make Cannoli Filling
Here’s how easy it is to make the filling for this delicious recipe:
- Add the sheep’s milk ricotta to a chinois or a strainer with cheesecloth and drain off as much liquid as possible in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Add the ricotta to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip at low speed while slowly pouring in the sugar until is mixed in and smooth.
- Finish by folding in some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag with no tip and generously pipe the filling into the cooled cannoli shells.
Variations
There are quite a few things you can do with the cannoli filling as well as incorporating the shells including:
- Cheesecake
- Dip
- Cake
- Pound Cake
- Cookies
- Ravioli
Chef Recipe Notes + Tips
Make-Ahead: While best served and eaten within a few hours of making them, you can make these up to 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They will also freeze well covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened.
You can re-roll out the dough to make even more cannoli shells.
Make sure to not form the dough around the cannoli metal molds so that it is hanging over the edges or else it will cook over and will ruin when trying to release them from the metal mold.
You should get fried air pockets in the cannoli shells when frying them.
Some Sicilian variations of the filling include thickened cream with milk and cornstarch, but this is not authentic.
You can also use milk or bittersweet chocolate chips.
Another very classic addition to adding to the filling is citron.
Northern Italy most often uses whole milk ricotta while Southern Italy and Sicily use sheep’s milk ricotta.
When kneading the dough think of pasta, it’s the exact same technique and takes the same amount of time.
There will be some filling leftover which is perfect for dipping graham crackers in!
More Amazing Dessert Recipes
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Video
Homemade Cannoli Recipe
Equipment
- Cannoli Tubes
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 800 g sheep’s milk ricotta or 3 cups
- 300 g sugar or 1 ½ cups
- 250 g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or ½ cup
For the Shells:
- 250 g 00 flour or 1 ½ cups
- 20 g sugar or 1 ½ tablespoon
- 3 g salt 3 or 1/2 teaspoon
- 2 g cocoa powder or 1 teaspoon
- 25 g lard or 1 tablespoon
- 45 g eggs or 1 egg whisked + 1 more separate
- 50 g marsala wine or ¼ cup
- 8 g white wine vinegar or 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Filling: Add the ricotta cheese to a chinois or a strainer lined with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl and in the refrigerator to drain excess liquid for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove the ricotta and place it in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on low speed while slowly adding in the sugar.
- Mix until the cheese is smooth and then fold in the chocolate chips until they are completely mixed in. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Shells: Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
- Add in the lard, egg, wine, and vinegar and mix by hand until combined, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a clean surface dusted with flour and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Remove the dough and place on a clean surface dusted with flour and roll it out until it is about a ¼” to 1/3” thick.
- Using a 1 ½” diameter circle round cutter, cut as many rounds as possible out of the dough as possible, which will make about 20-25.
- Roll each round out until they are about 5” to 6” in diameter, be sure to dust with flour wherhe needed to avoid any sticking.
- Whisk 1 egg together in a bowl and set aside.
- Wrap each rolled out dough round around a metal cannoli cylinder and rub a little whisked egg onto the end of the cannoli dough and wrap the other end over top and gently press to secure. Repeat until all of the cannoli shells are prepped.
- Fry in oil at 350° for 1 to 2 minutes or until browned. Set aside to drain on paper towels or a rack on a sheet tray.
- Once they are cool, remove the shells from the metal cannoli cylinders.
- To Stuff: Take the filling out of the refrigerator and add it to a piping back with no tip.
- Once the filling is in there use scissors to cut off the end of the piping bag, which is about a ½” up from the tip of the bag.
- Generously stuff each cannoli shell using the filling in the piping bag. You will have to pipe in one side then turn it to pipe in the other side.
- Generously sprinkle on powdered sugar and serve!
Notes
- Make-Ahead: While best served and eaten within a few hours of making them, you can make these up to 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They will also freeze well covered for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day or until softened.
- You can re-roll out the dough to make even more cannoli shells.
- Make sure to not form the dough around the cannoli metal molds so that it is hanging over the edges or else it will cook over and will ruin when trying to release them from the metal mold.
- You should get fried air pockets in the cannoli shells when frying them.
- Some Sicilian variations of the filling include thickened cream with milk and cornstarch, but this is not authentic.
- You can also use milk or bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Another very classic addition to adding to the filling is citron.
- Northern Italy most often uses whole milk ricotta while Southern Italy and Sicily use sheep’s milk ricotta.
- When kneading the dough think of pasta, it’s the exact same technique and takes the same amount of time.
- There will be some filling leftover which is perfect for dipping graham crackers in!
May says
This took me all day to make but it was really good. I will definitely make again. My grocery store (WF) did not have the “00 Flour” so I had to use regular flour. Store also was out of sheep’s milk ricotta. My only tips for this recipe is to make sure you pinch the dough together when putting it on the cylinder, and don’t get egg wash on the cylinder which seems to make the fried shell stick when you’re trying to remove it.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Lisa B Gardner says
What’s the best brand of Marsala? Locally all I’ve found is in the cooking wine section of the grocery store…unless I need to be getting it somewhere else. I’ve always heard bad things about cooking wines 😂
Chef Billy Parisi says
any brand will do
Mariana says
Hello,
Could be repleced marsala wine with something else?
Tk
Chef Billy Parisi says
Unfortunately no
Edwin says
Hi Billy,
The final product was delicious! I did have a couple of snags though. I had to use whole milk ricotta. I left it over night in a colindar like yours. It still seamed a little runny, not as thick as some of the bakeries in NYC. Also and most importantly, as I made the dough it was very dry. What can I do next time to make the dough less dry. I used the recipe and measured everything in grams. Could it be that I live in the desert? I don’t know if water would be the answer. Please let me know. Thanks again for your amazing recipes. Zeppolies are next!
Carolyn Capalbo says
Hi Billy. Thanks for the recipe! The Cannoli shells were above my skill level, but the filling was awesome. I served in a decorative chip and dip bowl surrounded by Gingersnaps. It was a big hit! And a perfect dessert for casual company. Maybe one day, I’ll work up the nerve to try making the shells…
Rehab says
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe, SO GOOD!!
YOU ARE THE BEST.