Dark Chocolate, Fig & Roasted Peanut Cannoli
Get ready for a flavor kaleidoscope, because these cannoli have it all: peanut butter whiskey shells, bitter dark chocolate, richly cheesy ricotta filling, sweet and fruity fig, and salty peanuts.
I recently acquired a new book that some of you might be interested in. It’s called The Art & Science of Foodpairing, and it’s full of a bunch of charts looking at an ingredient’s aroma molecules to find unique flavor combinations. Isn’t that insane? Science. is. bonkers. Anyway, this recipe idea came about from me flipping through that book! I don’t think I ever would have guessed the flavors in this cannoli would be an absolute banger together, and yet here we are. THANKS, SCIENCE.
Servings: 20 | Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Chill / Rest Time: 4 hours
Cheesecloth
Fine-mesh sieve
Food processor
3 ½ to 4” diameter round cutter
Large pot / Dutch oven
Thermometer
5” metal cannoli forms (link)
Heat-safe bowl
Hand-mixer / Stand-mixer
Large and small piping bags
Large star piping tip
Round piping tip
Cannoli Filling:
4 cups (32 oz) whole milk ricotta
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp anise extract
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, cold
Roasted Peanut Cannoli Shells:
2 ¼ cups flour
4 tbsp brown sugar
¾ tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, cold
⅓ cup peanut butter whiskey (I used Skrewball)
⅓ cup water, cold
2 egg yolks, reserve egg whites
2 quarts refined peanut oil
6 oz extra dark chocolate, chips or chopped (I used Guittard)
Assembly:
6 oz fig preserves
2 tbsp salted roasted peanuts, chopped finely
¼ cup powdered sugar
Cannoli Filling (5 minutes + 2 hours chilling)
Wrap the ricotta in cheesecloth and place in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl.
Transfer to the fridge to drain for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Roasted Peanut Cannoli Shells (1 hour 40 minutes + 2 hours resting)
In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine.
Cube the cold butter and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times, until the butter is in small pieces.
Add the peanut butter whiskey, water, and egg yolks. Pulse until the mixture comes together into a tacky, stringy dough.
Liberally dust a flat surface with flour and knead the dough until elastic and smooth.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Roll the dough out to ⅛” thick, then use a round 3 ½ to 4” diameter cutter to cut out the cannoli. Set aside.
Add peanut oil to a large pot, or Dutch oven, so it’s about 2” deep, and attach a thermometer.
Heat the oil over medium heat until temperature reaches 360° F. While the oil is heating, continue preparing the cannoli.
Wrap the cannoli dough rounds around the metal cannoli forms, using your finger to brush some egg white onto where the ends overlap. Make sure to liberally coat both sides with the egg white and press ends together tightly to seal.
Fry the shells, three at a time, until they puff up and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Carefully remove with tongs and transfer to a wire cooling rack lined with paper towels.
Immediately, with oven mitts on, wrap a paper towel around each of the cannoli and slide them off their metal forms.
Repeat until all cannoli are fried. Set aside to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
In a heat-safe bowl, microwave the chopped dark chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring each time, until fully melted.
Dip the ends of the cannoli in the chocolate, shaking off any excess.
Set aside on a wire rack to let the chocolate harden completely. Meanwhile, finish preparing the filling.
Cannoli Filling Cont’d (15 minutes)
Remove the ricotta from the fridge and squeeze the cheesecloth to strain out any remaining liquid.
Press the drained ricotta through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl.
Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and anise extract.
With a hand-mixer, or stand-mixer, whisk the mixture until fully combined.
If your filling is too thin (this could happen if your ricotta had a lot of excess moisture that didn’t drain out fully), add up to ⅓ cup of cold heavy whipping cream, a tablespoon at a time, and whisk on high until mixture firms up to the desired consistency.
Transfer the filling to a large piping bag, fitted with a large star tip, and set aside.
Assembly (25 minutes)
Transfer the fig preserves to a small piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
Flip the cannoli upside down and pipe a line of fig preserves inside the cannoli, along the bottom of the shell (which will become the top when flipped back over).
Fill the rest of the cannoli with the ricotta filling.
Dip the exposed filling on the ends of the cannoli into the chopped roasted peanuts.
Dust the tops of the cannoli with sifted powdered sugar.
Serve immediately. Once filled, cannoli shells will soften over time, so they are best eaten within a few hours. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade