Indulge me as we take a delectable detour to the heart of Sicily right from your kitchen. Discover the allure of creating your own traditional Sicilian cannoli – golden, crispy shells perfectly filled with a creamy, dreamy ricotta concoction. Warning: once you try homemade, store-bought cannoli might not cut it anymore!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Let’s break it down – why should you invest your time and culinary prowess in this endeavor?
Well, to start with, you’re crafting not just a dessert but an experience – an authentic Italian experience. The end result? Not just cannoli, but an explosion of rich, harmonious flavors created by you.
The satisfaction of mastering the age-old art of making cannoli shells from scratch is second to none. The delight is in the details – from kneading the dough to that magical moment when your shells turn that perfect golden-brown shade.
And then there’s the filling – the sweet, creamy filling. A medley of ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips conspiring to treat your taste buds.
The dusting of powdered sugar at the end? That’s your personal culinary mic drop.
Table of Contents
Kitchen Essentials You’ll Need for Traditional Sicilian Cannoli
Ready to channel your inner Italian nonna?
Here’s the arsenal you’ll need:
- For the shells: flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, vegetable shortening, Marsala wine, an egg white, and of course, vegetable oil for frying.
- For the filling, you’ll need ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, mini chocolate chips, and more powdered sugar for dusting.
- Don’t forget your trusty cannoli forms or tubes.
What You’ll Need To Make Traditional Sicilian Cannoli
Get ready to fill up your kitchen counter with these Italian goodies:
For the Traditional Sicilian Cannoli Shells:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Vegetable shortening
- Marsala wine
- An egg white
- Vegetable oil (yep, we’re deep frying these babies!)
For the Cannoli Filling:
- Ricotta cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Mini chocolate chips
- More powdered sugar (because you can never have too much sweetness, right?)
And don’t forget your cannoli forms or tubes. These are crucial in giving our cannoli their characteristic shape.
Now let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of cannoli crafting, shall we?
The Art of Cannoli Crafting: How To Make Traditional Sicilian Cannoli Shells
The journey of your cannoli starts with the perfect dough – a tantalizing blend of flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and vegetable shortening.
Then, we invite Marsala wine to the party.
After kneading and resting, it’s time to roll, cut, and wrap your dough around cannoli tubes.
Next up is the thrilling deep-frying phase. Make sure to keep an eye on those bad boys – we’re aiming for that enticing golden-brown hue. Once you’ve achieved that, it’s time to let them cool off.
Meanwhile, you prepare the pièce de résistance – the filling. It’s a silky dance of ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips.
Once your shells are cool and ready, pipe in the filling, and behold your homemade cannoli.
Perfect Pairings and Ideal Occasions
A traditional Sicilian cannoli pairs brilliantly with a hot espresso or a sweet dessert wine.
It’s a divine dessert choice for celebrations – think birthdays, anniversaries, or any day with a sprinkle of sweetness.
Why Make Instead of Buy
So why go through all the trouble of making cannoli when you can easily buy them? Simply put, because the process is just as rewarding as the end product.
The joy of creating something delicious with your own hands is unparalleled. Besides, it’s your golden ticket to customizing the recipe to suit your palate.
Making cannoli is not just about dessert – it’s a delicious journey into Italian culture. Now roll up those sleeves, and let’s embark on this culinary adventure together!
Get Your Hands Dirty – and Love It!
Alright, time to dust off your apron and dial up your favorite Italian tunes. It’s about to get messy in here, and you’ll adore every second of it.
Rolling out dough, getting splatters of filling here and there – this is the real deal, folks! This is where memories are made. Kitchen chaos has never tasted so sweet, I promise you.
The Cannoli Challenge: Not Just For Pro Bakers
Here’s the scoop: making cannoli isn’t the exclusive territory of Italian grandmas or professional bakers. Nope. Not on my watch. Even if you’ve never kneaded dough or don’t know the first thing about frying, you can absolutely nail this.
It’s a learning curve, sure. You might not get it perfectly right the first time.
Your first few cannoli might be total flops – but guess what? Each mistake brings you closer to mastering the art of cannoli-making.
This is the kind of experience that turns “I think I burnt it…” into “Buon appetito, everyone!”
Breathe Life Into Your Parties
Imagine this: your next gathering, be it a birthday bash or just a fun Friday night with friends, you pull out a tray of freshly made cannoli. Eyes widen, smiles spread, and everyone dives in for a taste.
Homemade cannoli? You bet. Store-bought cannoli doesn’t have the same effect. It’s a show-stopper, a conversation starter, and a testament to your culinary courage. Who doesn’t love a host who knows their way around a cannoli shell?
Become a Part of Tradition
Deep down, this isn’t just about a delicious dessert. It’s about embracing a timeless tradition, a part of Sicilian heritage.
Every time you knead that dough and watch those shells sizzle in the hot oil, you’re participating in a ritual passed down through generations.
So take a bow, brave baker! You’re not just making cannoli. You’re keeping a rich tradition alive, one delicious bite at a time.
From Me to You: Cannoli Love
Embarking on this cannoli adventure is a labor of love – for food, for tradition, for those precious moments when everything else fades away, and it’s just you, the kitchen, and a promise of something deliciously amazing.
So here’s to you, future cannoli champ! Here’s to the golden shells and creamy fillings, to the laughter and love that will fill your kitchen.
Dive into the glorious mess of it all and come out the other side with a tray of delicious cannoli and a heart full of joy. Buon appetite!
Traditional Sicilian Cannoli
Discover the allure of creating your own traditional Sicilian cannoli - golden, crispy shells, perfectly filled with a creamy, dreamy ricotta concoction. Warning: once you try homemade, store-bought cannoli might not cut it anymore!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- For the Filling:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined sieve
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- You will also need cannoli forms/tubes.
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
- Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the Marsala wine until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
- Cut out circles of dough (about 4 inches in diameter), and wrap each one around a cannoli tube, sealing the edges with a bit of beaten egg white.
- Heat about 3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot to 375°F (190°C).
- Fry the cannoli shells a few at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cannoli shells from the oil and drain on paper towels.
- Let cool before carefully sliding out the cannoli tubes.
- Mix the drained ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth for the filling.
- Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
- Use a pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off) to pipe the filling into the cooled cannoli shells.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 111mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 8g
DanaVento.Com is not a dietician or nutritionist; any nutritional information shared is simply an estimate. Use a nutritional calculator if you need exact estimates of nutrition, and note that the brands you use in your recipe may differ slightly or significantly from those brands of items you use, creating a variance in nutritional content.
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