Italian Dessert

Cannoli

Cannoli is a traditional Italian dessert with a memorable texture, a sense of occasion and the sweet finish that makes the cuisine feel complete.

Jump to recipe More Italian food
1 hr 15 minsPrep time
5 minsCook time
Serves 4Servings
EasyDifficulty
Cannoli
About this dish

Cannoli: the story on the plate

Cannoli is more than a dessert: it is a route into regional Italian kitchens, market produce and a tradition of letting good ingredients do most of the work. The dish is built around olive oil, wheat, tomatoes, herbs, cheese and patient sauces, giving it a flavour that feels both practical and deeply connected to its origin. It works especially well for relaxed dinners, family meals and menus built around simple flavour, and it gives readers a clear way to understand how ingredients, technique and food history meet on the plate.

Historical background

Cannoli belongs to the wider story of regional Italian kitchens, market produce and a tradition of letting good ingredients do most of the work. It reflects how local ingredients, cooking equipment, trade routes, seasonality and household traditions turned everyday food into recognisable national or regional identity.

Why it is famous

Cannoli is famous because it captures something people associate with Italian food: recognisable ingredients, a clear cooking style and a flavour that feels strongly tied to place.

Cultural significance

In a menu, Cannoli helps explain Italian cooking through taste rather than theory. It can sit beside other dishes from the same country to create a fuller cultural food journey.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

Useful for meal planning and calorie-aware recipe browsing.

640Calories
9gProtein
64gCarbs
36gFat

Estimated from recipe type and current ingredient text; review before publishing formal nutritional claims.

Ingredients

What you need

  • 150 plain flour
  • large pinch of bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 castor sugar
  • cinnamon
  • 1 cocoa powder (optional)
  • 30 butter
  • 1 egg
  • 50 marsala (or white wine)
  • Sunflower oil for deep frying
  • 50 dark chocolate melted
  • handful of pistachio kernels finely chopped
  • icing sugar for dusting
  • For the filling
  • 250 ricotta drained and beaten till fluffy
  • 100 mascarpone
  • 2 finely chopped candied peel
  • 2 icing sugar
  • (you will need cannoli moulds available to buy online)
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Tip the flour, sugar, bicarb, cinnamon and cocoa powder (if using) into a bowl with a pinch of salt, add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients until there are no lumps.
  2. Mix the egg yolk and the marsala, add this to the dry ingredients and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap and rest in the fridge (can be made ahead and fried the next day)
  3. Fill a deep-fat fryer, wok or a deep saucepan a third of the way up with oil.
  4. Cut the dough into pieces and, working one piece at a time, roll them out as thinly as you can – use a pasta machine if you have one.
  5. Heat the oil and keep an eye on it until it reaches 180 °C. Lay the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut out circles about 11 cm across.
  6. Wrap each one around a cannoli mould, using some egg white to stick to the top edge down, and they are ready for frying. It's important to take care when cooking with hot oil.
  7. Keep the oil at 180°C and be careful of splashes or the oil overflowing onto the cooker could cause fire, a deep fat fryer is recommended for the best way to control the heat of the oil.
  8. Deep-fry the cannoli (with their moulds) one at a time, making sure they cook all over. They should take about 45-60 seconds. They should be golden brown and cook a little longer if they aren't the dough will bubble and blister.
  9. Carefully take each one out of the oil using tongs and shake the cannoli off the mould very carefully onto kitchen paper. As you fry each one, make sure that the oil stays at 180°C at all times and doesn't get any hotter. These will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
  10. When the cannoli are cold, dip the end of each one into chocolate, then dip some of those into the pistachios. Leave to cool and harden. Beat the ricotta and mascarpone together, then stir in the candied peel and sugar.
  11. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a wide star nozzle and pipe it into the cannoli dust with icing sugar, then serve
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Buy the best version of the defining ingredient you can afford. Fresh herbs, good dairy, ripe produce, quality meat or seafood and proper bread or pastry make a noticeable difference.

Ingredient quality

Prioritise freshness, correct seasoning and authentic core ingredients. Where substitutions are needed, protect the main flavour and texture of the original dish.

Common mistakes

Do not rush the foundation of the dish. Under-seasoning, overcrowding the pan, using weak stock or poor-quality core ingredients will make the final result feel flat.

Chef’s tips

Taste as you go, season in layers and give the dish enough resting or cooling time where appropriate. Presentation should support the food story rather than distract from it.

How to know it is cooked

The dish is ready when the key texture is correct: tender meat or vegetables, cooked pastry or grains, a sauce that coats properly, or a dessert that has set while still feeling pleasant to eat.

Plating advice

Serve in a way that suits the origin of the dish: rustic bowls for comfort food, generous platters for sharing dishes, clean plates for elegant classics and small portions for rich desserts.

Make ahead

Prepare components ahead where possible. Many sauces, braises, soups, pastries and desserts benefit from resting, chilling or reheating gently before serving.

Storage and reheating

Cool leftovers quickly, cover well and refrigerate. Most cooked dishes are best eaten within 2 to 3 days, while delicate salads, fried items and seafood are best served fresh. Reheat gently until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of water, stock, milk or sauce if the dish has thickened. Avoid aggressive heat for dairy, seafood and delicate desserts.

Wine pairing

What to drink with Cannoli

Pairings are chosen around the dish’s flavour, texture, richness, acidity and cooking style — not just the country it comes from.

#99 Good match Dessert

Sweet Muscat

Why it works: Fallback pairing for Cannoli: selected from the recipe course and cuisine so the page always has a useful wine recommendation.

Fragrant sweet wine with orange blossom, grape, peach and honey. Best with pastries, custards, fruit desserts and lighter cakes.

GrapeMuscat Blanc, Moscatel, Muscat of Alexandria
RegionRutherglen, Beaumes-de-Venise, Setúbal, Asti
Wine flavourorange blossom, grape, peach, honey
Serve at7-10°C
  • Flavour bridge: Chosen to provide a sensible balance of acidity, body and regional character when no hand-curated pairing exists yet.
  • Acidity: Balanced against the likely richness of the dish.
  • Body: Matched broadly to the recipe course and cuisine.
  • Tannin: Kept food-friendly rather than overpowering.
  • Sweetness: Dry for savoury dishes; sweet for desserts.
  • Best for: Auto-added fallback pairing. Replace with a hand-curated note when you review the recipe.

These are wine-style pairings, so you can choose any bottle in that style rather than needing one exact producer. Look for the grape, region or style name on the label.

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