Cannoli Al Cacao Con Ricotta

This cannoli recipe is a slight adaptation of Italian Street Food: Recipes from Italy's Bars and Hidden Laneways. This book has become one of my recent favorites and this recipe is one that you’ll want to make again and again. I adjust it to include granulated sugar rather than caster and I switch out the white wine for water. This allows those that have an allergy to alcohol or are abstaining from it currently to enjoy without hesitation. I’ve also adjusted the quantities of everything to work with cups and tablespoons/teaspoons rather than weight as I know many people at home do not have a kitchen scale. I hope you’ll give these cutie cannoli a try and the book above a read! This recipe makes about 20 cannoli.

• 32 oz vegetable, peanut, or sunflower oil for frying

• 1 egg white for brushing

• chopped pistachio and mini chocolate chips for garnish

For the dough:

• 1 and 2/3 cups of all purpose flour

• 1.5 tbsp of granulated sugar

• 2 t ground cinnamon

• 2 t bittersweet cocoa powder

• 2 t ground coffee

• pinch of salt

• 3.5 tbsp cold, unsalted butter into cubes

• 2 t white wine vinegar

• 2.5 tbsp warm water

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling:

• 4 cups strained ricotta

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or more to taste

Let’s start with the dough. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and salt in a large mixing bowl. Spread the butter over the dry ingredients and work the butter into the mixture until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the 2.5 tbsp warm water to the whole egg and beat slightly together. Add the egg mix and the 2 t of vinegar to the bowl and mix with a fork until well combined. Pour the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 3 minutes until the dough is mostly smooth. Cover the dough with the bowl and let rest in the fridge for about an hour.

Make the filling by combining the ricotta and the sugar in a bowl and mixing until combined. Taste for sweetness and adjust where necessary. You can also mix in some pistachio and chocolate chips into the filling if you wish as well.

Roll out the cannoli dough onto a floured surface with a rolling pin. Flour the rolling pin if it begins to feel sticky. Roll the dough until it is slightly thicker than a piece of paper. Once rolled, use a 3.5 inch cup or a 3.5 inch cookie cutter to cut out dough circles. Roll the dough scraps back into a ball and roll out again until all the dough is used up.

Heat the oil in a deep pan until it reached 340f. You can also test the temperature by adding a piece of dough into the oil. If it bubbles up immediately, it’s ready. Wrap the dough circles around the cannoli tube and add some egg white onto the edge to connect it, you want them to overlap slightly. Cook the cannoli tubes for about 2 minutes until GBD (golden brown delicious). Remove the cannoli from the oil by using a pair of tongs and placing it on a plate lined with paper towels. Let the cannoli cool slightly then carefully remove it from around the shell.

Once cooled, fill the cannoli shell with your filling and dip either side into the pistachio or chocolate chip mix. Enjoy immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to eat!

Buon Appetito!