Chocolate Cannoli
Made with a crunchy shell filled with creamy chocolate ricotta filling, chocolate cannoli are one of the best Sicilian desserts!
Chocolate cannoli are a traditional Sicilian dessert well-known and loved around the world for their delightful combination of crunchy shells and rich, creamy ricotta filling.
These delicious treats consist of crispy shells made from a sweet fried dough, which are then filled with a creamy, ricotta cheese filling.
The dough for the shells is typically made with simple ingredients such as flour, Marsala wine, and cocoa powder, and it is fried until golden and crispy.
The ricotta filling for cannoli is made with just cheese and sugar, but it often includes chocolate, candied fruit, or nuts.
Growing up in Messina, the Sicilian city where chocolate cannoli were invented, my favorite Sunday treat was chocolate cannoli from the best pastry shop in town.
Since moving abroad, I've started making Sicilian cannoli at home and I'm so happy with the results!
So, I'm very excited to finally share this traditional recipe for chocolate cannoli.
Trust me, once you try it, you won't need to travel all the way to Sicily for an authentic taste of cannoli!
Jump to:
What are cannoli?
Cannoli is one of the most loved Sicilian desserts in the world, together with granita and cassata.
The origin of the name "cannoli" most probably comes from the little tubes used to fry the shells.
Originally, sticks of sugar canes ( "canna da zucchero" in Italian) were used to give cannoli their shape. Nowadays, we use these stainless steel little tubes.
The origin of cannoli dates back to the time when Arabs ruled in Sicily, and they first appeared in the Sicilian town of Caltanissetta.
The recipe was then perfected in Palermo, but it was in Messina that the chocolate cannoli recipe made its first appearance, and that's the recipe I will be sharing today.
Cannoli were traditionally served during Carnival season (just like chiacchiere cookies), but today they're available all year round.
Chocolate cannoli ingredients
The beauty of this chocolate cannoli recipe is you can make a showstopping Italian dessert with just a handful of ingredients.
Here's a list of the ingredients you will need:
Cannoli shells ingredients:
- Flour: I use Italian flour 00 or regular all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: Feel free to use caster sugar or raw cane sugar.
- Vinegar: You'll need just a tiny amount of white vinegar for this recipe.
- Lemon: Since the recipe calls for lemon zest, it's best to use an unwaxed organic lemon.
- Butter: Traditionally cannoli shells are made with lard, but using butter will not alter the final results.
- Cocoa powder: Use your favorite high-quality cocoa powder, both natural cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder work.
- Eggs: you'll need the egg yolks for the shell dough and the egg white to seal them before frying them
- Marsala: Marsala wine gives the dough a lovely sweet and aromatic note and helps make the shells extra crispy, but you can substitute it with white wine if necessary.
Chocolate cannoli filling ingredients:
- Ricotta: Use fresh whole sheep or cow's milk ricotta. Make sure you strain overnight before use.
- Icing sugar: Opt for icing sugar that doesn't contain cornstarch, or make your own powdered sugar in a blender.
- Chocolate: Pick a high-quality 70% dark chocolate for the best flavor.
How to make chocolate cannoli
Below you can find a quick overview of the step-by-step process to make the best chocolate cannoli at home!
Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe
STEP 1. Combine the dough ingredients, and knead until you have you a smooth dough. Wrap and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
STEP 2. Prepare the cannoli filling by mixing the ricotta until smooth, then whisk in the melted chocolate and powdered sugar. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.
STEP 3. Divide the dough into pieces, and roll each piece as thin as possible, using a pasta machine if available. Cut into 10 cm/4-inch circles, wrap each circle around a cannoli tube, brushing with egg white to seal the top edge.
STEP 4. Heat the oil, then deep-fry one cannoli at a time, until it's golden brown. Remove from the oil and transfer on kitchen paper, then carefully remove from the mold. Fill each cannoli with the ricotta filling and serve immediately.
Storage tips
I always recommend storing the cannoli shells and the ricotta filling separately.
Store the cannoli shells at room temperature in an airtight container lined with a paper towel, this will absorb the moisture in excess and keep them nice and crispy. The shells keep well for up to a week.
Store the cannoli filling in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Cannoli recipe tips
- You can prepare the cannoli shells dough and refrigerate it for a maximum of 3 days before using it.
- Make sure the butter is very cold, this will help achieve crispy shells.
- You can fry the shells up to 3 days in advance. Make sure they cool completely before placing them in an airtight container for storage.
- The dough needs to be rolled very thinly, so I recommend using a pasta machine if you have it available.
- If you want the shells to have their characteristic bubbles, roll each disk of dough around the tube and fry the shell straight away.
- Keep the oil at a temperature of 360°F/180°C to ensure your shells are nice and crispy. If the oil is cooler, the shells will take longer to fry, absorbing more oil and resulting in softer, less crisp shells.
- It's possible to make the ricotta filling in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Remember to fill the cannoli right before serving time, otherwise the shells will lose their crispiness.
More Italian dessert recipes to try
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try these traditional Italian desserts:
- Amaretti Cookies - Italian Almond Cookies
- Italian Butter Cookies
- Pizzicati Cookies - Italian Pinch Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Hangover Cake
- Classic Tiramisu Without Eggs - Authentic Italian Recipe
- Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake
- Baci di Dama - Hazelnut Cookies
- Ricotta Cheesecake - Just 3 Ingredients
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Recipe
Chocolate Cannoli
Ingredients
For the cannoli filling:
- 600 g fresh ricotta cheese, approx 2 cups + ½ cup
- 200 g dark chocolate, approx 1 cup
- 120 g powdered sugar, approx 1 cup
- 2 tablespoon pistachio, finely chopped
For the cannoli shells
- 240 g all-purpose flour or flour 00, approx 1 cups + ½ cup
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 40 g cold butter, cut into cubes, approx 3 tablespoons
- 60 ml Marsala wine, approx ¼ cup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 large egg yolks, approx 43g/1.5oz in total
- 1 egg white, for brushing
- 1 liter sunflower oil, approx 4 ½ cups, for frying
Instructions
For the cannoli filling:
- Start by draining your ricotta. Place the ricotta in a fine mesh strainer and set it over a larger bowl. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave at 30-second intervals, until it's completely melted. Allow the melted chocolate to cool slightly.
- Place the ricotta in a large bowl and whisk with a hand mixer for 10-20 seconds, until creamy and fluffy. Whisk in the powdered sugar, then slowly incorporate the dark chocolate, until fully combined.
- Prepare a piping bag or a small plastic bag with a cut corner and fill it with the ricotta filling. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the cannoli shells:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture using your hands until the mixture reaches a sandy texture.
- Add Marsala wine, vinegar and egg yolks, mixing until a dough comes together. Give the dough a few kneads in the bowl, it will feel very dry at the beginning, the more you knead it the more it smoothens. Flatten the dough into a circular shape, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Divide the dough into pieces, and roll each piece as thin as possible, using a pasta machine if available. Cut out circles approximately 10cm/4-inch in diameter. Wrap each circle around a cannoli tube, brushing the edges with egg white to seal them.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a deep saucepan until it's about one-third full and heat the oil to 360℉/180℃, use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature.
- Fry the cannoli individually, by placing them on a slotted spoon and submerging them into the oil. Fry for about a minute, or until golden-brown, then remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to absorb the oil in excess. Let the cannoli shells cool completely then carefully remove the cannoli tubes.
- Pipe the cannoli filling into each cannoli shell, then garnish with chopped pistachio, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Just made this and this is the best recipe for cannoli shells and filling I have ever tried! Thank you 🙂
That looks awesome! I've never tried chocolate cannoli but they sound great. 🙂
Oh yes you should really really try it! It s sicilian most favorite dessert, there must be a reason.. we re such foodies in sicily 🙂
These look fantastic! I love cannoli, but I've never made them for myself. Your recipe looks quick and simple, but ever so elegant. And as you've said, it also looks lighter than many recipes. I'm looking forward to trying these!
Jamie I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 Even if I'm sicilian, I only recently started to make cannoli by myself, and it's so satisfying!! When you try to make them, let me know the result 🙂