The cannolo, cannoli in the plural, is Sicily’s gift to dessert carts everywhere: a crisp fried tube filled with sweet, creamy ricotta and finished with chocolate or pistachio. It is simple in theory and easy to get wrong, and the difference comes down to one word, freshness.
Fill at the last minute
If you remember nothing else, remember this: a cannolo is filled only just before it is eaten. The whole appeal is the contrast between the crackling shell and the cool, soft cream, and a shell that has sat filled for hours goes limp and sad. Bakeries that fill to order understand this; ones that sell pre-filled trays usually do not.
The filling is ricotta, done right
The cream is nothing more than ricotta, sweetened and smoothed, so its quality decides everything. Start with good whole-milk ricotta and drain it in a cloth-lined strainer, ideally overnight, so it firms up instead of weeping. Sweeten it with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla or cinnamon. In Sicily the ricotta is often made from sheep milk, which is tangier and richer if you can track it down.
Dress the ends
Half the joy of a cannolo is the little flourish at each open end. Press in mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, or a nub of candied orange peel so every bite starts and ends with something. A final dusting of powdered sugar over the whole thing is traditional and makes them look the part.
Crisp shell, cool ricotta, filled at the last possible second.
Fry your own, if you dare
Making shells is a genuine project but a satisfying one. You wrap thin dough around metal tubes and fry it until it blisters into that signature bubbled, crackly texture, and a splash of wine or vinegar in the dough helps. Keep the oil at a steady temperature so the shells cook through without scorching, and let them cool completely before filling.
Or find a real pasticceria
There is no shame in leaving it to the professionals. Seek out an Italian-American bakery, preferably one that fries its own shells and fills each cannolo while you wait. A neighborhood spot that has been doing this for generations will almost always outdo anything wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. Ask when they fried the shells; the answer tells you a lot.
How to celebrate
- 1Fill them to order
The cardinal rule of cannoli is that the shell gets filled only right before eating. A shell filled hours ahead turns from shatteringly crisp to sad and soggy. If you buy them, ask for them filled on the spot, or buy the shells and cream separately and assemble at home.
- 2Use good ricotta, drained
The filling is sweetened ricotta, and its quality is everything. Buy the best whole-milk ricotta you can find and drain it overnight in a cloth-lined strainer so the cream sets up thick rather than runny. Sheep milk ricotta, if you can find it, is the traditional Sicilian choice.
- 3Keep the add-ins classic
Fold in a little powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla or cinnamon, then dress the ends. Mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, or a bit of candied orange peel pressed into each open end are the traditional finishes. A dusting of powdered sugar over the top completes it.
- 4Fry your own shells
If you are ambitious, cannoli shells are dough wrapped around metal tubes and fried until blistered and crisp. It is a project, but the reward is a shell far better than any package. Look for a recipe that uses a little wine or vinegar in the dough for that classic bubbly texture.
- 5Find a Sicilian bakery
The easiest great cannoli comes from an Italian-American bakery, ideally one that fills them while you wait. Ask which day they fry their shells. A neighborhood pasticceria that has been doing this for decades will almost always beat anything mass-produced.