If you let your eyes wander across an Italian Christmas table set for dessert, you’ll have a lot to look at, but you will inevitably find yourself fixated on the struffoli.
This dessert is made up of a ton of little fried dough balls, glazed together with honey and decorated with sprinkles and candied cherries. [For a gluten-free struffoli, try Appetito's GF Italian honey balls recipe.] Everyone reaches over, pulls off a ball or two, and snacks away on this addicting treat all night.
Honey is a natural preservative, which explains the origins of this odd dish. Once made, it keeps at room temperature for weeks. Christmas lasts a long time in Italy, so this was a way to have a sweet treat around that lasted for the duration of the feasting period.
Struffoli
1 large platter
servings10
minutes1
hourIngredients
3 1/3 cups (400 g) 3 1/3 all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 large 3 eggs
1 large 1 egg yolk
3-1/2 Tbsp. (45 g) 3-1/2 sugar
4-1/2 Tbsp. (65 g) 4-1/2 lard
zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 pinch 1 salt
4 tsp. (20 ml) 4 limoncello (you can use rum), divided
peanut oil (or other neutral oil), for frying
1/2 cup (120 ml) 1/2 honey
multicolored sprinkles, for decorating
candied cherries, for decorating
Directions
- Pour the flour into a pile on a large, clean work surface.
- Hollow out the center with your hand.
- Into the hollow, add the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, lard, lemon zest, salt, and 3 teaspoons (15 ml) of the limoncello.
- Using your hand, begin mixing the ingredients together while incorporating the surrounding flour into a rough dough.
- Knead the dough until it is very smooth and uniform.
- Wrap it in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Dust a large baking sheet or cutting board with flour.
- Cut a golf ball-size chunk of dough from the main ball and roll it under your palms into a long snake, about 1 finger in width.
- Slice this strand into small pieces, about a finger’s width in length.
- Place these onto the floured baking sheet and repeat until you have used up all the dough.
- Fill a large, deep pan with about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil and heat to frying temperature. Place 2 or 3 handfuls of dough balls into a fine-mesh strainer, gently shake them to remove any excess flour, and carefully pour them into the oil.
- Fry, stirring occasionally, until golden.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
- Repeat to fry the remaining dough balls.
- Add the honey and remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml) limoncello to a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat.
- As soon as the honey melts and starts to bubble, pour all the fried dough balls into the pan, stirring and turning constantly with a spatula, cook the struffoli until all the honey has been absorbed by the dough.
- Turn off the heat and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes before plating.
- Arrange the struffoli as desired (the simplest way to plate them is in a large pile on a serving platter; if you are feeling fancy, you can also heap them around a cup or jar that can be removed later, to create a ring shape).
- While the honey is still warm, sprinkle the dessert with sprinkles (if you made a ring shape, wait until the honey has cooled but not completely hardened before carefully removing the center cup).
- Top the dish with a few well-placed candied cherries.
- Allow the honey to cool and harden completely before serving.
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