Cannoli – sugar free
My husband calls these pastries ‘Granolly’ and was completely unaware of the existence of this classic Sicilian dessert until he met my family. The rest, as they say, is history.
I can often find perfectly packaged Bellino brand mini cannoli shells at our local Italian store that only contain 1 tiny sugar gram each – and I fill the small crisp pre-cooked pastry tubes rather than pipe the cream into a dish. Fill these little sugar free gems just before you serve them so that the shells remain crisp.
Otherwise the cannoli cream is delicious served in a small dish with a bit of shaved chocolate.
There is a pure Sicilian extract called Fiori de Sicilia, sold by King Arthur Flour that is a very distinct orange floral flavor that you will recognize as the flavor of panettone or cannoli... just a drop though as it is very concentrated. If you are Italian or Sicilian, this tiny bottle is worth its weight in gold.
One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese - Calabro is best hands down, Polly-o very good
2/3 cup Splenda granular
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar-free Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding powder
Shaved sugar free chocolate-optional
½ cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts-optional
Puree the ricotta with the Splenda, vanilla, cinnamon, and pudding powder in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture to a medium zip lock freezer bag and chill before serving. Snip off ½ inch of one corner of the bag, and using it as a pastry bag, squeeze a swirl of the cannoli cream into a martini glass or small dessert dish. Lightly sprinkle with shaved chocolate and pistachio nuts, if using; serve immediately.
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