Ingredients
- For the cannoli shells:
- 245g plain flour
- 2tbs caster sugar
- ¼tsp salt
- 25g chilled, unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 90ml white wine
- Vegetable oil for frying
- For the filling:
- 500g ricotta cheese
- 90g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g chocolate nut butter (Harrys chocolate nut butter, or another chocolate nut spread), plus extra to melt)
- 2tbs toasted hazelnuts
- To make the cannoli shells, sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter and use your fingers to rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, beat the egg yolk and white wine together. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat the ricotta cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy. Add the chocolate nut butter and mix well.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ⅛-inch thickness. Cut the dough into circles using an 8cm (3 inch) round cookie cutter. Wrap each circle of dough around a cannoli tube, overlapping the edges slightly and pressing them together to seal.
- In a large pot or deep fryer, heat the vegetable oil to 190 degrees. Fry the cannoli shells in batches until golden brown – about two minutes. Remove the shells with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Once the shells are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the tubes and fill each shell with the ricotta and chocolate filling using a piping bag or a spoon. Melt a little of the chocolate nut butter and dip the ends of the shells in it. Dust with the toasted hazelnuts.
