How to make cannoli filling or dip, cannoli simple Italian way! Because who doesn’t love cannoli right ? Authentic Cannoli Siciliani that is, filled with the freshest sheep’s milk ricotta cheese and candied fruit or nuts. I would like to tell you that there is nothing groundbreaking about this recipe.
True cannoli cream filling is simply the freshest creamiest sheep’s milk ricotta, mixed with sugar and then stuffed inside fried pastry shells that are usually dipped in chocolate and nuts and sprinkled with powder sugar. Oh, that heavenly smell of powdered sugar flying through the morning breeze from the local Pasticceria who made the best Cannoli in town lingers with me to this day. Stuffed right in front of my eyes with the creamiest ricotta filling and dusted with a velvety layer of powdered sugar. But now I’m in California, and finding sheep’s milk ricotta cheese isn’t exactly as easy as riding my bike to the corner store.
But that isn’t going to stop us from making the best cannoli filling here at home, right kids ? So we are gonna need to bring out the food processor, or a hand held mixer with a whisk attachment to whip up some regular ricotta cheese you can find at the market. Make sure you have whole milk ricotta cheese or if you can, always better to make your own. Remember to strain the ricotta, so it isn’t watery. Sift the powder sugar on top of the ricotta cheese before whipping it into the fluffiest cannoli filling you ever had!
Refrigerate and chill until ready to serve or fill cannoli shells. Never, ever fill the cannoli in advance because they will become soggy. You will get a similar effect except you don’t need to fry any cannoli shells. How to thicken your cannoli filling or dip ?
Whip up 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until stiff. Fold into the filling and chill for about an hour or so. Why is my filling grainy or gritty ? I suspect you might have used granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. What to serve cannoli cream with beside pizzelle ?