Authentic Cannoli Recipe — Damn, Spicy! (2024)

Make real Italian Cannoli with this Authentic Cannoli Recipe with authentic ingredients and tons of tips and tricks straight out of Italy! This Sicilian Cannoli recipe will help you nail down the art of Cannoli, no matter your skillset or where you live!

Authentic Cannoli Recipe

Hey loves!

Today I’m sharing with you how to make cannoli at home! 🙂

After years of living in the sweet land of Pizza and falling in love with Sicilian pastries, I’m really excited to be sharing with you this recipe!

I’ll share all the authentic ingredients, tips, and tricks required to make your cannoli taste just like the ones you’d have in Sicily!

Let’s get started! 🙂

What are Cannoli exactly?

Cannoli are Sicilian pastries that consist of fried sweet dough filled with a sweet sheep ricotta filling and chocolate chips. The filling is usually flavored with a hint of orange blossom water and the pastries are topped off with candied fruits (cherries or orange zest), crushed pistachios, or chocolate chips.

The filling ingredients vary from family to family slightly: some people like to add a pinch of cinnamon to the filling while others add chopped candied fruits. These variations won’t dramatically alter the look or taste of your cannoli so feel free to play around a bit.

On the other hand, some of the ingredients should *NEVER* be substituted if you want to recreate authentic Sicilian cannoli at home!

💡 DID YOU KNOW THIS?June 16 is National Cannoli Day!

Who invented cannoli? The spicy story!

Cannoli were actually invented in a harem back when Sicily was still under Arab domination. Say what?!

Yes!

Sicily was ruled by Arabs between 827 AD and 1091 AD and the city of Caltanissetta was actually named “Kalt El Nissa” back then. It meant “Women’s Castle” because it was home to a large number of harems.

Harems, you know, the ones with the (probably not so gorgeous) Arab prince surrounded by his possibly young and beautiful concubines. The concubines teamed up and created a dessert that was supposed to resemble the prince’s member. YES. Hence the shape and the filling.

It was supposed to be a luscious and rich dessert and I mean… they got it right!

Authentic Cannoli Ingredients

You’ll find the full recipe + ingredients in the recipe card down below but this is what you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour. To make the dough!
• Eggs. Make sure to use room-temperature eggs. Eggs are used in the dough and to seal the edges of the right before frying.
• Vegetable oil. You’ll need this for the dough as well as for frying the cannoli shells, so make sure to stock up on the oil!
• Sugar. Use white granulated sugar.
• Marsala wine. This is one of those key ingredients needed to get the signature flavor of Sicilian cannoli. While you cannot taste any alcohol in your cannoli, it’s used to enhance the aroma of the pastry. It’s perfectly safe for kids to eat cannoli, but they shouldn’t be served to people who do not drink alcohol for religious reasons.
• Milk. Use full-fat, room-temperature milk.
• Sheep ricotta. Please do not use any other ricotta! Cow milk ricotta won’t work. Sheep ricotta has a specific, more pungent, tangier flavor that’s absolutely necessary to replicate cannoli at home. Ask for some sheep ricotta at the deli section of your grocery store and make sure to drain it well before using it, or the filling might come out runny. More tips on how to drain ricotta later.
• Powdered sugar. To sweeten the filling and dusting.
• Orange blossom water. I like this one! Do not use orange extract or orange zest. Orange extract/zest are much stronger. You’re looking for orange blossom water, which is a lot more fruity and delicate.
• Chocolate chips. Use semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. You’ll need these for the filling as well as for decorating.
• Crushed pistachios. I know pistachios can get a bit expensive, so they’re optional. You only need pistachios for decorating purposes, so you can totally skip them and use chocolate chips or candied fruits if you prefer.
• Candied fruits. You can use candied cherries or candied orange zest: pick your favorite or use both! These are typically used to top off the pastries and give them that fun, colorful look! If using cherries, get actual candied cherries, not Maraschino!

How to make cannoli shells

You’ll find the full recipe with step-by-step instructions in the recipe card down below but this is what to expect:

1. Make the dough. Add the flour to a large bowl, make a well in the center and add the egg, oil, sugar, marsala wine, and milk. Mix and knead. You can do this by hand or use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
2. Divide the dough into 2 pieces to make it easier for you to roll it all out.
3. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin. The dough should be very thin, about 1/8-inch thin as you want it to be light and crispy once it’s fried. Cover the rolled-out dough with a damp kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out while you roll out the second piece.
4. Cut the dough into circles. The circles should be around 4-inch wide. I recommend using a 4-inch cookie cutterfor this step, but you can also use any 4-inch glass, bowl, or cup you own. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel.
5. Shape the cannoliinto their signature tube shape by wrapping each circle around a stainless steel cannoli mold. I like these!Use the egg whites to seal the edges of the cannoli.
6. Fry the cannoli. Fill a pot halfway with vegetable oil, once the oil is hot (345F – 355F), fry the cannoli in batches. I recommend sticking to 3-4 cannoli at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot. Make sure the temperature of the oil is stable while frying, I recommend using a kitchen thermometer for this! I like thisone because you can easily clip it to the pot and get a real-time accurate reading as you fry!I also recommend using a fork to hold down the cannoli as they fry to make sure they fry evenly. Fry until golden brown and crisp!
7. Transfer the fried shells to a plate lined with multiple layers of paper towels to allow the extra oil to drain. Carefully remove the cannoli mold from the shell using a fork or whatever works best for you. Be very careful as the steel will be flaming hot! Allow them to cool down to room temperature before filling them.

How to make authentic cannoli filling

You’ll find the full recipe with step-by-step instructions in the recipe card down below but this is what to expect:

1. Prepare the filling. Drain the ricotta (more tips below). In a bowl, mix the drained sheep ricotta, powdered sugar, orange blossom water, and chocolate chips until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and pop it in the refrigerator to chill. You can also make this ahead and let it chill overnight in the refrigerator. This option is actually recommended!
2. Fill the cannoli. Transfer the filling into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (make sure the tip is large enough for the chocolate chips to go through the hole without blocking it) and fill each cannoli with a generous amount of filling. Fill the cannoli right before serving, or they will get soft/soggy as they sit.
3. Time to decorate! Have fun and dip each end of each cannoli into crushed pistachios (if using), chocolate chips or top them off with candied fruit! Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

3 tips for success

• Drain the ricotta. This step is very important as it keeps the filling from turning out runny or grainy. Place the cheese in a cheesecloth or a colander and allow it to drain in the refrigerator for about an hour.
• Make the filling ahead of time. Yup! Make the filling, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pop it in the refrigerator and let it chill overnight to allow the ricotta to soak up all the flavors!
• Invest in a kitchen thermometer. Kitchen thermometers are easy to use and help you make sure the temperature of the oil is stable when it’s time to fry your cannoli shells. I recommend this onebecause you can clip it to your pot and you’ll get a real-time reading of the temperature as you fry! Oil temperature is very important when frying as it’s what makes or breaks the end result: if it’s too cold the dough will absorb the oil becoming soggy and if it’s too hot the shells will burn very quickly. Make sure the oil temperature is around 350F/365F.

Can you make cannoli ahead of time?

Yes and no.

You can make the filling ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. This is actually very encouraged as it allows the filling to soak up all the flavors.

You can also make the cannoli shells and fry them ahead of time. Once they have cooled down to room temperature you can store them in an air-tight container and keep them in a cool, dry spot for up to 4 days.

You cannot fill the cannoli shells ahead of time because they will get soft/soggy. Try your best to fill them right before serving!

How do you store cannoli?

I don’t recommend storing filled cannoli as the shells will get soft/soggy over time but if you do have leftovers, you can store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

Can cannoli be left out overnight? No, cannoli should be stored in the refrigerator as the filling is fresh and shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for longer than a couple of hours.

Can you freeze cannoli? No! Sorry! Cannoli can’t be frozen because of their filling: it just doesn’t freeze well. Please do not try freezing them 🙂 .

Troubleshooting & FAQs!

Welcome to the troubleshooting & faq section of this post!

• Why is cannoli filling runny? You probably didn’t drain the ricotta or didn’t drain it long enough. Place the ricotta in a cheesecloth or a colander and let it to drain in the refrigerator for about an hour.
• Why is my cannoli filling grainy?Make sure the ricotta has drained properly (use a cheesecloth or a colander and let it drain for about an hour) then whisk it until the sugar dissolves and the filling is completely smooth. Sometimes the filling can look chunky or grainy but you can’t actually feel the chunkiness when eating it so taste it and see if it “feels” gritty. If it does and whisking doesn’t help, you can save it by whipping the filling (you’ll get a whipped cream type of texture, it’s really good!).
• Can cannoli shells be baked? In general, yes but authentic Italian cannoli are fried. I’ve never baked them so I cannot provide any adjustments or additional instructions for baking. I would recommend finding a “baked cannoli shells recipe” if that’s what you’re interested in!

If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to leave a comment down below and I’ll be with you asap!

HAPPY BAKING LOVES!! I hope you’ll love this Sicilian Cannoli Recipe as much as I do!

PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘