cheese cloth or in a sieve over a clean bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. It has to drain as long as possible to remove excess moisture.
Remove the ricotta from the fridge and with a spatula over a clean bowl push the ricotta through the sieve. This will make it nice and creamy, add the sugar a little at a time and taste until desired sweetness (I used ½ cup of sugar you may want more or less). Fold in the chocolate chips.
FOR THE PASTRY
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa and cinnamon, make a well in the middle and add the butter (start with 1 tablespoon if too dry add the remaining tablespoon), egg and wine mixing with a fork. Bring it together to form a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 350°F/180C, lightly grease and flour 15 cannoli tubes or make your own tubes with rolled up pieces of foil.
Roll dough out very thin and cut with a round cookie cutter (medium size), wrap the pastry so that the edges overlap and seal by brushing with a little egg white (beat slightly) or water.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until pastry is golden. Let cool completely before coating or dipping with chocolate and nuts, let the chocolate firm up before filling with the ricotta cream.
Place the filling in a pastry bag with a large tip and fill the cannoli, make sure to fill just before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired before serving. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE COATING
Break chocolate into pieces and melt (either microwave or place chocolate in a small bowl and place over a small pot of boiling water make sure water does not touch bowl with chocolate).Let cool a little then dip each end of the cannoli in the chocolate then dip in the chopped nuts. Set aside to harden before filling.
Notes
Instead of tubes you could make tarts, be sure to prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Place a square of parchment paper or a cupcake casing in each shell.Fill with some dried beans, rice or sugar. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, then remove the paper and dried beans and bake again for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling.I baked these shells but if you prefer the traditional fried Cannoli, then fill a medium sized pot with 1/3 vegetable oil and heat to 350F / 180C degrees. Carefully place 1 or 2 shells at a time in the oil. They should take about 60 seconds to cook, they will be covered in bubbles and blisters when done. Be sure not to let the oil go over 350F / 180C.Remove to a paper towel lined plate, let cool before filling. The baked shells will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.The Cannoli shells can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days unfilled.Cannoli shells can be frozen, be sure to place in an airtight container or freezer bag. I don’t recommend freezing the Mascarpone filling because Mascarpone does not freeze well, it will separate. The shells will last 10-12 months in the freezer.