Despite their snackable size and undoubtedly delicious constitution, cannoli have never had their Moment™. Macarons hit their peak in 2012, and the cronut craze practically defined most of 2014, but for the longest time cannoli have cruised under the radar. Traditional Italian cannoli have a sweet ricotta or custard filling and involve some variety of embellishment like crushed nuts or a chocolate coating, which makes them an ideal foundation for flavour experimentation. And yet, there has been no such renaissance. This injustice will not stand, so we are unilaterally declaring 2019 as the year of the cannoli.
Here’s where we go for cannoli that hits the spot.
Jocelyn's Provisions
Fortitude Valley
As one of Brisbane’s most beloved bakeries, Jocelyn’s Provisions has been setting the bar for excellence in patisserie for going on twenty years. In that time they’ve proven themselves to be deadset mavens of the baked good, whether it be croissants, quiches or crisp and precious cannoli. Previous permutations of the latter have been hefty whoppers of orange mascarpone dappled with pistachios and dipped in coverture chocolate. Drool.
Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers
Paddington
Dessert stomach can only hold so much, so the only reason we’d ever recommend pacing yourself over a bowl of Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers’ ragu is to make room for some of their cannoli. In keeping with their fundamental ethos, theirs is a super traditional cannoli filled with creamy ricotta and dusted with almonds, walnuts and cinnamon sugar.
Dolci Sapori
Clayfield
The long-reigning kings of Italian pastry, is a pasticceria that specialises in crafting authentic Italian desserts, from the many and varied pasticcini to Tuscan sfogliatella to the most crisp and creamy cannoli. Being ardent traditionalists, these cannoli come with vanilla, chocolate or ricotta filling, and are best consumed alongside an espresso.
Marchetti Cafe
CBD
Snug in Tattersall’s Arcade is where you’ll find the best cannoli in the CBD. Best described as a lost fragment of Palermo, Marchetti describes itself as a quintessentially Italian cafe and an ideal spot to solve the world’s problems over a bikkie. Naturally, our vote is for Marchetti’s super traditional bite-sized cannoli, which are the perfect size to justify having 12.
Gerbino’s Pasticceria
Ashgrove
If you’re after bulk quantities of cannoli, look no further than . They pride themselves on their ability to pump out the crispest, flakiest, most buttery and sweet cannoli this side of the Mediterranean, and also happen to offer the wildest celebration cake of all time: the cannoli cake, a giant cannoli shell stuffed with dozens of mini cannoli.
Locale
Newstead
If their cult following is to be believed, then is Newstead’s premium spot for Sicilian sweet lovin’. Like all our other favourite cannoli connections, Locale keeps it classy with a traditional offering of chocolate, vanilla, ricotta or choc chop cannoli, which you can buy along with some Sicilian bikkies for dunking.
Jake and Elle’s Kitchen
Eat Street Northshore
Champion vendors of Italian American street food, pride themselves on the authenticity of their bloody amazing cannoli. Lovingly handmade using an old family recipe, their classic cannoli flavours are the traditional triumvirate: vanilla custard, chocolate custard or sweet ricotta. If you want to go really ham (which, of course, you do) get one of their Italian hot chocolates and get dipping.
Italian lovers should also make a beeline for the best gnocchi in Brisbane.
Image credit: Hayley Williamson (Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers)