Cannoli with ricotta and chocolate nut butter sauce

Serves: 6
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O’Keefe is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. She is chef-patron of the Dublin restaurant Mae