Sicilian Cannoli – Hazelnut

Cannoli di Sicilia Nocciola by Greenomic Delikatessen

Cannoli di Sicilia Nocciola by Greenomic Delikatessen are Sicilian-style crispy pastry rolls filled with hazelnut paste. They come in a 200-gram pink metal tin with a swing-top closure, which preserves their crispness for weeks.

Cannoli di Sicilia Nocciola are filled tube pastries that Greenomic Delikatessen has produced in Italy according to an Italian recipe. The pastry contains wheat flour, wine, sugar, egg, and a hint of cocoa, while the cream features hazelnut paste, milk powder, and fine hazelnut pieces.

Crispy on the outside, soft and nutty on the inside

With the first bite, the shell cracks audibly, immediately followed by the soft cream that holds the break together again. It is precisely this contrast that defines the pastry, and it lasts as long as the packaging remains closed. Anyone who breaks one crosswise will immediately see the bubbly structure of the shell in the cross-section.

The shell tastes of baked wheat, vanilla, and a hint of cocoa that is felt rather than clearly identified. Sugar takes the lead in the filling, followed by the hazelnut paste, and both can be tasted in that order. The filling is distinctly sweet and nutty, and the small hazelnut pieces give the soft part a second, quieter bite.

With espresso, on the coffee table, as a gift

A roll next to a short espresso is the obvious pairing, as the bitterness of the coffee balances the sweetness of the cream. Two pieces on a small plate are enough for the afternoon; more is rarely needed. They also go perfectly with a glass of Marsala or a sweet dessert wine.

On the coffee table, they stand alongside cantuccini and a bowl of almonds, holding their own among softer neighbors. Crumbled over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, they make a dessert in two minutes for which no one has to bake. Because the pink tin with the swing-top closure looks as if someone had already thought of adding a ribbon, it is often passed on as a gift unopened.

The name comes from the reed

In Sicily, the dough was traditionally wrapped around short pieces of river cane, called "canna," fried on them, and the tube was removed after cooling. What remained was the tube that would later hold the cream, and the pipe gave the pastry its name.

Almost a fifth of the dough is wine, and it is there for a solid reason. The alcohol evaporates in the heat, causing the shell to puff up and leaving behind the coarse, porous surface by which a cannolo is recognized. In a Sicilian pasticceria, the tubes are filled just before sale because otherwise, they would turn soft within hours. For this reason, a version is baked for Greenomic Delikatessen that can withstand being stored.

The tin remains when the pastries are gone

Close the tin tightly after each use, and the crunch will remain even after days. Stored in a cool, dry place, the pastries will keep until the printed date; no refrigerator is needed. Once the supply is used up, you are left with a metal container with a swing-top closure that can be used to store cookies, tea, or screws.

Beside it, the green tin with the Cannoli Pistacchio awaits, and the rest of the sweets from Greenomic Delikatessen can be found in the Dolci selection.