Sfogliatelle (Crispy Shells)
Golden, shatteringly crisp pastry shells filled with sweet ricotta and candied citrus. These Neapolitan pastries look showstopping but use store-bought phyllo for speed.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, whole milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup candied orange peel, finely chopped
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (preferably dark)
- 12 sheets phyllo dough sheets
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light or beep tells you it has finished heating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Pour 1 cup ricotta into a medium bowl, add 0.5 cup powdered sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture looks uniform and creamy, about 1 minute.
- 3
Fold the chopped candied orange peel and 0.25 cup chocolate chips into the ricotta mixture using a rubber spatula—lift batter from the bottom up and over the mix, rotating the bowl a quarter turn; repeat until evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.
- 4
Place a phyllo sheet on your work surface and brush the entire top side lightly with melted butter using a pastry brush, moving from edge to edge until the surface glistens.
- 5
Lay a second phyllo sheet directly on top of the buttered first sheet, then brush the top of this new sheet with melted butter the same way.
- 6
Repeat this layering process until you have stacked 3 phyllo sheets total, each brushed with butter.
- 7
Spoon 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling onto the short end of the phyllo stack, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge, then fold the phyllo tightly around the filling like wrapping a burrito.
- 8
Place the rolled sfogliatella seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat steps 4–7 three more times with the remaining 9 phyllo sheets and filling, making 4 pastries total.
- 9
Brush the top of each rolled sfogliatella with a light coat of melted butter, then sprinkle 0.125 teaspoon salt evenly over all 4 pastries.
- 10
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until the pastry turns the color of dark honey and feels crispy to the touch, about 20–25 minutes.
- 11
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the sfogliatelle cool on the sheet for 5 minutes so they set and become even crispier.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- medium mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- rubber spatula
- work surface (cutting board or counter)
- pastry brush
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
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