Pastries and sweets
Cannoli shells: how they are made and how to keep them crisp
Cannoli shells are rolled dough tubes fried until blistered. Learn how they are made, whether to buy or make them, and how to store them so they stay crisp.
Pastries and sweets
Plain-English explainers for Italian bakery pastries, cookies and sweets, from sfogliatelle and cannoli to biscotti, zeppole and croissants.
All guides in Pastries and sweets
Pastries and sweets
Cannoli: the Sicilian shell and ricotta cream explained
Cannoli are Sicilian fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream. Learn where they come from, how the shell is made and how to eat one while crisp.
Pastries and sweets
Eclair: what it is and how the choux pastry is filled
An eclair is a long choux pastry filled with cream and topped with glaze. Learn how the shell is made, how it differs from a cream puff and how to eat one.
Pastries and sweets
Sfogliatelle: the shell-shaped Italian pastry explained
Sfogliatelle are shell-shaped Neapolitan pastries with crisp layers and a ricotta filling. Learn the two types, how to say the name and how to eat one.