The essence of Sicily is enclosed in one unique dessert… unmistakable scents and textures bite after bite. Sicilian cannoli are a source of pride for this beautiful island, along with cassata, cassatine, iris, almond paste… they are among the most beloved sweets in the world. Served in restaurants as a dessert to be enjoyed in their original format or in a miniature version, Sicilian cannoli enchant with their typical bubbles and shiny ricotta cream in bakery windows. They captivate attention along the streets of Sicilian towns or during events, sold as street food desserts to be stuffed at the moment. Like all regional recipes, for Sicilian cannoli there are also secrets and versions that vary from city to city or from family to family: some choose to add cocoa and Marsala to the dough, just like we did. Others instead choose to flavor the base with coffee or cinnamon too! The ricotta cream, on the other hand, is almost always enriched with pieces of chocolate and finished cannoli are often garnished with crumbled pistachios, chocolate shavings, or candied fruit… in short, the choice is endless on how you’ll decide to savor them! But the fundamental rule is one: cannoli must be filled at the last minute to enjoy all their crispiness!
Sicilian Cannoli
INGREDIENTS
– 260g Flour 00
– 20g Sugar
– 30g cold lard
– 5g Unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1 teaspoon Fine salt
– 20g Eggs
– 10g White wine vinegar
– 60g Marsala wine
Calories of Sicilian Cannoli
Difficulty: Difficult
Preparation time: 1hr 30min
Cooking: 15min
Servings: 30 pieces
Cost: Medium
Note + time to drain the ricotta and about 30 minutes of dough rest.
INSTRUCTIONS
How to prepare Sicilian Cannoli
To prepare Sicilian cannoli, start with the waffle: in a bowl pour the flour, sifted cocoa, sugar, fine salt, cold lard; take the egg and beat it lightly, then use 20g of it to add to the bowl with the other ingredients (set the remaining for brushing the cannoli later).
Then pour the Marsala and vinegar. Begin kneading with your hands, then transfer to the counter and work for about ten minutes until you obtain a homogeneous dough. It will take some patience and energy because the mixture is pretty dry. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour, then remove it from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After the time, take the dough, divide it in half, leaving the other half well covered, and lightly flour both sides. Press hard with your hands, and then insert the piece between the rollers of the pasta maker. At first, it may break, don’t worry, it will be sufficient to reassemble it and repeat.
As soon as it becomes compact, fold the two ends inward, and roll again between the rollers, starting with the thickest part. Repeat 3-4 times, if necessary even turning the dough in the opposite direction.
Once it becomes smoother, fold the dough, this time making only one fold and then pass it again between the rollers 3-4 times. At this point, fold the dough again, this time on the short side and pass it again between the rollers. Gradually lower the numbering, then the thickness. If you notice that the dough is stretching too much, divide it before proceeding. Keep pulling until you reach number 8 of the machine or the thickness that corresponds to a thickness of 0.5 mm. All these steps will make the dough more dilated so that bubbles form during cooking.
Once you have obtained the sheet with the indicated thickness, you can divide it in half for practicality. Trim the edges and add them to the other half of the dough that you still have. With a smooth blade circular cookie cutter, make squares of 10×10 cm, so take each little square of dough, slide your thumbs from the center towards the outside to widen it slightly and delicately; in the middle, arrange a steel cylinder so that it goes from one corner to the other.
Wrap one edge of the pasta onto the cylinder, brush the remaining egg on the other edge before joining it with the other. Form the first cannolo and continue with the rest of the dough. It’s important that the cannoli remain out to dry a bit before cooking.
Heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 180°C (to be measured with a kitchen thermometer). Start frying the cannoli one at a time, placing them on a slotted spoon, and immerse them for a few moments. This way they will not touch the bottom of the pot and will not burn. It will take less than 1 minute, turn them continuously. Drain the cannoli, using a pair of tongs and transfer them to a tray lined with kitchen paper. Let them cool before removing the cylinder, it will be enough to press it lightly and the two metal sheets will tend to return. Then make a slight movement in the opposite direction to the sense of closure of the cone, and remove them gently. At this