This is a print preview of "Italian Holiday Struffoli" recipe.

Italian Holiday Struffoli Recipe
by Bobby Lovera

Italian Holiday Struffoli

These little balls of fried dough dipped in hot honey syrup are a holiday tradition for many Italian families.

Rating: 5/5
Avg. 5/5 3 votes
Prep time: Italy Italian
Cook time: Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 3 C. AP Flour
  • 4 eggs slightly beaten and room temperature
  • 1/4 C. Butter warm melted
  • 1/2 t. Salt
  • 1/2 C. Sugar
  • 4 t. Royal Baking Powder
  • 1 t. Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 3 drops Fiori di Sicilia or other favorite flavoring
  • 1/4 C. Warm milk
  • Oil or shortening for frying
  • Glaze:
  • 1/4 C. Honey (orange blossom preferred)
  • 1 C. Sugar
  • Garnish:
  • Candy Sprinkles
  • Candied fruit pieces
  • Toasted nuts

Directions

  1. Whisk flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and zest together in large bowl then make a well in the center for the eggs and butter.
  2. Add slightly beaten eggs and add flavoring and warm melted butter and warm milk.
  3. Stir and fold with rubber spatula until the dough is well made. Add more flour as necessary for humidity adjustment or larger sized eggs. Since it will be fried it is very forgiving.
  4. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
  5. Flour your work surface then roll long strands of dough about 1/4 inch in diameter.
  6. Cut or pinch knobs of dough about 3/4 inch long and collect them on a lightly floured platter.
  7. Heat butter flavored shortening or frying oil in skillet over medium high heat and 1 inch deep with hot oil for frying.
  8. Fry the dough balls until golden and puffed then collect them as they become ready onto a plate lined with paper towels.
  9. In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook the sugar and honey for 5 minutes with a tiny slice of lemon until it begins to simmer then reduce heat and cook for 2 more minutes.
  10. Put Struffolis back into large bowl and drizzle a ribbon hot honey syrup over them while turning them with rubber spatula to coat evenly.
  11. Alternately pack them loosley with handfulls of chosen garnish into a well buttered mold; let cool slightly then invert onto a serving platter to be served in lieu of fruit cake and eaten with the fingers in passing.
  12. Or you can dump it all on the plate and serve it loose as a fun holiday snack.
  13. I occasionally use canned honey butter biscuits instead of making the dough from scratch then I add some flavor to the syrup. If using the canned biscuit dough then you can make smaller batches at a lower cost and the balls of dough can be fun to stuff each piece with an M&M candy and or dust them with cake mix powder of choice before frying as I usually do with my Calzoncelli. Fried M&M Lol...yes I did.
  14. The Greeks make this too... sometimes from Challah dough and the larger sized balls are boiled in the syrup after having been fried.