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Rosemary Cannoli Crackers

Living in Italy there is one thing I have discovered, I have never met a person who didn’t go crazy for Sicilian Cannoli, ok maybe one and that one is me. I am not a great lover of ricotta cheese. I like it cooked in foods, such as Stuffed Pasta Shells or a delicious Italian Ricotta and Chocolate Cake but on its own, no thanks.

So what does the word cannoli in English mean? Little tubes. It was the Sicilians idea to deep fry the pastry tubes and fill them with a sweetened ricotta. I must say the idea of cannoli I have always loved, I am also a fan of cheese and crackers and most appetizers. So why not give cheese and crackers a little pizzaz.

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

If you are nervous about making bread, crackers are the perfect initiation, very easy and really delicious.

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

The first thing I did was combine some chopped, fresh rosemary and olive oil and let it mingle together for 30 minutes. After that I added my yeast to room temperature water, stirred in the flour and the wonderful combination of olive oil and rosemary and the salt. Kneaded it until it became nice and  smooth, and then I let it sit for an hour.

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

I kneaded it again for a bit, rolled it out to pie pastry thinness, a few I cut out with circles and wrapped them around the cannoli tubes and a few I cut long strips and I also wrapped them around the tubes. My advice on the strips is don’t make them too long, long enough to wrap around 2, maximum 3 times. I also made some cutouts with some of the dough. They were baked for about 12-15 minutes, they don’t turn very golden, but they do get really crispy, the perfect Rosemary Cannoli Crackers.

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

For me the perfect filling was some softened cream cheese and a little dill mixed in, my husband loved them and decided my mother’s Salmon Spread was his choice for filling. Got to admit good idea that Italian has once in a while! My youngest daughter decided she liked the flowers all on their own. Enjoy!

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers

Rosemary Molloy
Yield depends on how big the cannoli are or cutouts. Probably enough for 4-6 servings.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Antipasti
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 260 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour 250 grams
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water 125 ml
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons yeast 5 grams
  • 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 6 1/2 grams
  • 1/2 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary .8 grams

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl mix together olive oil and chopped rosemary, set aside.
  • In a large bowl add water, sprinkle yeast on top of water and let sit 3-5 minutes, then stir to combine. With a wood spoon add flour and stir a few times, add oil mixture and salt, stir a few more times, move dough to a flat surface and knead until smooth.
  • Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, let rise one hour.
  • Remove to a flat surface, knead a few times and roll until pie pastry thin (1/8" / 3-4 mm). Cut into long thin rectangler strips and wrap around cannoli cylinders (wrap 2 or 3 times) or cut with a round cookie cutter and wrap around cannoli cylinders (overlapping circle edges if you prefer closed cannoli). You could also use cut outs to make fancier crackers. Place cylinders and cracker cutouts on parchment paper lined cookie sheets cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 40 minutes, remove plastic wrap and bake in pre-heated 320° oven (160°), for approximately 12-15 minutes (they really don't turn brown a little golden). Enjoy!
  • They can be stuffed with cream cheese and a some chopped chives or dill, whatever you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 3g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 3mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

Rosemary Cannoli Crackers, homemade,easy, healthy, seasoned with rosemary cannoli crackers, stuff with cream cheese, the perfect appetizer./anitalianinmykitchen.com

4 Comments

  1. Yummy!! We could make entire meals out of appetizers. You are right that ricotta cheese doesn’t have a whole lot of taste. It may just be the creaminess of it and it takes on other flavors. I love the idea of your cannoli crackers — we tried cannoli once and that was the last time 🙁 If we want them we’ll just purchase them. Buona giornata.

  2. 5 stars
    These look amazing! I have really been enjoying your blog. This past weekend 2 of my Italian friends and my daughter canned 100 jars of local peppers and I made your Greek yogurt chocolate chip cake at 5:00 that morning so we could have it with coffee to sustain us through many hours of prep work. Thought you would get a kick out of such a typical Italian thing to do. Thanks for all the great recipes and stories. Wish I was there with you.

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