Cannoli are such an interesting and delightful dessert. These fried pastry tubes filled with a sweetened ricotta mixture are, at their best, unbelievably delicious. At their worst, they will leave you thinking that you just don’t like cannoli! So here in this recipe, we are going to make sure you have a foolproof way to make beautiful Chocolate Orange Italian Cannoli with this easy homemade delicious recipe! Enjoy these anytime as special treats or make a large batch of cannoli for a dinner party or crowd for special occasions or holiday gatherings!
Looking for more delicious Italian desserts? Try out our Homemade Lemon Cream Gelato or Homemade Almond Biscotti (Italian Cantucci).
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Authentic Cannoli: Origins and Regional Variations
Cannoli is a classic Italian dessert that originated on the Italian island of Sicily between the 7th and 9th century. At this time, Sicily was ruled by the Arabs, who introduced many foods and spices, including sugar and cinnamon. Although cannoli used to be made during Carnivale as a special treat, they have become a year-round delicacy that is enjoyed as a dessert or as a breakfast item in Italy.
Authentic cannoli have regional variations in Sicily, with the crunchy and crispy shell and ricotta being common to all. The filling of a cannolo (singular of cannoli) can be sweetened with sugar or honey. The ricotta in Sicily was traditionally made with sheep or goat milk, but it is common around the world to see cow’s milk ricotta used for the filling. Some places in Sicily use pistachios in the sweetened ricotta mixture, others used candied orange or cherry, and often chocolate is added. These can also be found in a very simple format without any additions with just the sweetened ricotta and sometimes powdered sugar on top.
Worldwide variations of this delicious treat have evolved over the years and can be found with just about anything in the filling. Cannoli has become one of many favorite desserts from Italy around the world!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Super easy to make!
- Absolutely delicious!
- Perfect to make ahead. Simply fill the shells to serve when ready to enjoy.
- Great for a dinner party dessert. Make a larger batch or use mini cannoli shells to serve cannoli to a crowd!
- Requires just a few ingredients.
Ingredients
This recipe for homemade cannoli has very straightforward ingredients that are easily found at the grocery store. Here is what you need to make this Italian Cannoli recipe:
- Ricotta: Use the best quality whole milk ricotta you can find. Since this is the base of the filling, you want it to be good quality.
- Sugar: We pulse our sugar in a spice grinder to make it superfine, which lets it dissolve in the filling easier.
- Cinnamon: A traditional ingredient in cannoli, a little goes a long way for a subtle flavor addition.
- Vanilla extract: Not as traditional, but a very tasty addition. A little vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste also heightens the flavor.
- Mascarpone cheese: Although this ingredient is not traditionally used in Sicily, we found that a small amount helps bring the filling together, makes it creamier, and adds a decadent flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Also not traditionally used, but a little lightens the texture of the filling up just enough to be worthwhile.
- Chocolate: Mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings from a semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate bars are what we use for this recipe.
- Fresh Orange Zest: As a nod to the traditional cannoli with candied fruit used in Sicily, we chose to use some zest from cara cara oranges (although any orange variety will work). The zest is the outermost layer of the orange peel and contains tasty oils that flavor the filling with the orange essence.
- Cannoli Shells: We buy our cannoli shells premade and recommend THIS brand from Italy. If you really want to make them from scratch, we recommend this recipe. But to make this dessert easier to make, store-bought shells are best.
- Powdered Sugar: We like the look of dusting the finished cannoli with a small amount of powdered sugar right before serving.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
Here are a few common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Chocolate: We normally use bittersweet chocolate, and occasionally use semisweet chocolate. However, you could certainly substitute with milk chocolate or white chocolate for more sweetness or a more bitter dark chocolate for less. You could also use cocoa powder instead, which will add flavor and darken the filling.
- Sugar: You could optionally use honey in place of sugar, just cut the amount down to a ½ cup.
- Vanilla: Almond extract can be used in place of vanilla extract for a distinctly different flavor.
How to make Chocolate Orange Italian Cannoli
This is really simple to make, albeit not completely traditional, with a few additions in the filling that we prefer for a light and creamy texture. With a few minor techniques, this becomes something you can bring together in no time!
Equipment
The following equipment is needed or recommended
- Food processor - this is why the recipe is so easy!
- Fine mesh strainer - excess liquid is the enemy of this recipe, so you need to drain the ricotta for at least 30 minutes or, if you have time, several hours
- Spice grinder or mini food processor (optional) - this is a great way to make superfine sugar out of regular sugar so it dissolves quicker into the filling. Recommended but not necessary for the recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Drain the Ricotta
- Put the ricotta in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours to drain some moisture from the ricotta.
Step 2: Blitz the Sugar (optional)
- If you have a spice grinder or a mini food processor, put the sugar in and pulse it several times to break up the sugar and make it superfine. If not, use your regular food processor to do this job or skip it altogether.
Step 3: Whip the Ricotta
- Transfer the drained ricotta to the food processor and whip for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, mascarpone, and heavy cream and process for a minute. The mixture should be very creamy at this point.
Step 4: Finish the Filling
- Remove the ricotta mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Fold in the chocolate and orange zest with a spatula. Put the filling in a piping bag (or zip top plastic bag) to easily fill the cannoli and store in the refrigerator in a tall cup with the tip pointing down for at least an hour to allow the filling to chill and let the flavors meld. The creamy filling is even better on day 2 in our opinion.
Step 5: Make the Cannoli
- When ready to eat, cut the tip off of the piping bag, letting any excess moisture drain off before filling the cannoli. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends of the cannoli shell making sure they are completely filled. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve.
Variations
Here are a couple of ways to change up this recipe…
- Use chopped pistachios. Pistachios are traditionally used in some places, so either add chopped pistachios to the recipe or use them in place of the chocolate
- Add cocoa powder. For an extra chocolaty version, add cocoa powder to the filling
- Make it simple. Omit the orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate for a creamy straightforward version that highlights the ricotta.
- Make a fruit dip! If you want a fun twist on a cannoli, make the filling and use it as a cannoli dip to serve with fresh fruit.
Storage
How to store cannoli
- Store the ricotta filling, separate from the shells, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The cannoli are best if filled immediately before eating or up to 2 hours max before eating.
Can you freeze cannoli filling?
- Not recommended at all. Freezing the filling tends to create a watery mess when defrosted and the texture and flavor suffer. So it is best to make this fresh.
How to serve cannoli?
- Pipe the filling into the shells when ready to serve (or up to 2 hours max in advance). Dust with powdered sugar before serving and add shaved chocolate to the ends if desired. These are great for a crowd, and some say that it’s Sicilian tradition to have at least 12 on a plate when serving to guests.
Top tips
- Moisture management! Drain the ricotta before making the filling using a fine mesh strainer. Then, if moisture still exists after making the filling and letting it sit in the piping bag, drain it from the bag before filling.
- Never fill your cannoli too far in advance. The wetter your filling, and depending on the type of shell you use, the more of a chance you may have the terrible issue of a soggy shell. This recipe with the crispy shells we use (see ingredient section above) can keep the filled cannoli from losing their integrity for up to an hour or 2 hours max, but we generally do not recommend making the finished cannoli in advance. Pipe and serve within 20 minutes for the best texture.
Troubleshooting
The most common issue is excess moisture due to the water content in the ricotta. Draining will greatly help, but there still could be a bit of excess moisture. That is why we recommend letting the completed filling sit upright with the tip of the pastry bag pointing down in the fridge for an hour. That lets any excess moisture flow to the tip of the bag and it can be discarded before filling the cannoli.
What to Make with Italian Cannoli
There are a few things that are excellent with cannoli! Also, If you’re a chocolate lover, you can make chocolate-dipped cannoli shells by dipping the ends of the shells in melted chocolate for a nice presentation and more chocolate flavor. Cannoli go great with a morning espresso or coffee.
For dessert, cannoli pair well with any dessert wine and can stand up to a sherry, port, madeira or other fortified wine. And for non-alcoholic drinks, a nice hot chocolate is a great pairing with homemade cannoli!
FAQ
The filling in cannoli has two components that are always included - ricotta and a sweetener, such as sugar or honey. Everything else added is either personal preference or a matter of tradition.
Cannoli are generally served cold/cool, but can be enjoyed at room temperature as well. A heated up cannoli would melt into a mess - it’s just not a thing!
No one person is responsible for inventing the delightful confection that we know as cannoli, but their origin is Sicily, Italy between the 7th and 9th century.
Cannoli filling can sit out for short periods of time (under 30 minutes) if you want it to be a little warmer than directly out of the refrigerator. But the filling must be kept in the refrigerator. Filled cannoli should also be kept in the refrigerator until service, but pre-filling cannoli more than 2 hours in advance is never recommended!
Related
Looking for other Italian dessert recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite main dishes to serve with this cannoli recipe:
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Orange Italian Cannoli Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Ricotta cheese
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 2 ounces heavy cream
- 2 ½ ounces shaved chocolate or very small chocolate chips
- Zest of 1 orange
- 6 Cannoli shells
- Powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Put the ricotta in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours to drain some moisture from the ricotta.16 ounces Ricotta cheese
- If you have a spice grinder or a mini food processor, put the sugar in and pulse it several times to break up the sugar and make it superfine. If not, use your regular food processor to do this job. (This step is optional but helps the sugar to dissolve quicker into the ricotta mixture.)⅔ cup sugar
- Put the ricotta in the food processor and whip for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, mascarpone, and heavy cream and process for a minute. The mixture should be very creamy at this point.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 ounces mascarpone cheese, 2 ounces heavy cream
- Remove the ricotta mixture from the food processor and place in a bowl. Fold in the chocolate and orange zest with a spatula. Put the filling in a piping bag and store in the refrigerator with the tip pointing down for at least an hour. The filling is even better on day 2.2 ½ ounces shaved chocolate or very small chocolate chips, Zest of 1 orange
- Cut the tip off of the piping bag, letting any excess moisture drain off. Fill the cannoli shells from both ends making sure they are completely filled. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve.6 Cannoli shells, Powdered sugar for dusting
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature (between 40°-140°F) for extended periods
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