Let me show you how to make my Nonna’s magical struffoli recipe! Struffoli, also known as cicerchiata, is an Italian Christmas tradition that we’ve had in my family since I can remember! For me, a Christmas table isn’t complete without these gorgeous dough balls adorned in their sticky and sweet honey sauce and colourful candy sprinkles!
This very special struffoli recipe comes from my Zia Marisa, who used to make it with my Nonna, her mom, at Christmas time. She now makes struffoli with her grandkids, and they look forward to doing it together every year! Buon Natale!
1. Into a bowl add 4 eggs and beat together until the mixture has lightened in colour and is beginning to froth. You want to ensure the eggs whites have been fully combined. To your eggs, add 60ml (1/4 cup) neutral oil, such as canola oil or vegetable oil.
2. Add the zest of a whole orange. Lemon is traditional, so feel free to use a lemon instead! My Nonna used, and my Zia continues to use an orange! You can substitute the zest for extract, or rum!
3. Add 280g (2 cups + 2 tbsp.) flour to your egg mixture and combine together until a very sticky dough has formed.
4. Turn out your dough onto a floured work surface and knead for around 8 minutes. I like to make sure my hands are covered in flour throughout the knead process. Push the dough away from you, and then pull it back on itself, rotating the dough throughout. You’ll know the dough is ready by poking it! If the dough returns, it’s ready to rest in a bowl covered with a tea towel for 60 minutes.
5. Turn your rested dough onto a floured work surface and pat it out into a rectangular shape. Roll out your dough until it’s ½ cm thick. Next, slice your dough into 1cm width strips. Then chop each strip into 1cm pieces. A pizza cutter is the best tool for this job! You should have lots and lots of 1cm x 1cm dough pieces.
6. Time to get the family involved! Roll each dough piece into a ball. Each piece doesn’t have to be perfectly spherical, but the closer you get, the better. Place each dough ball into a baking tray lined with lots of flour.
7. Into a shallow sauté pan, add vegetable oil – enough so that the oil is approximately 1 inch deep – and heat to 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use the end of a wooden spoon! Dip the end of the spoon into the oil; if vigorous bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is hot enough to fry!
8. Carefully spoon in some of your dough balls into the hot oil. Give them a little swish to ensure the dough balls do not stick together. Your dough balls will take 3-4 minutes to cook and they will puff up, float and brown and the ending of the 3-4 minutes. Transfer your fried dough balls to a baking tray lined with paper towel – to remove any excess oil! Continue frying your dough balls in batches.
9. Into a large frying pan/sauté pan, add 200ml (1 cup) honey and heat on medium until your honey is very runny. Turn off the heat, add your dough balls to the liquid honey and toss until all the dough balls are covered in honey.
10. Once the honey starts to cool and thicken, add half of your sprinkles to the mixture. Pile your struffoli onto a plate and finish by covering them with the remaining half of your sprinkles! Enjoy!
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I hope you love this recipe as much as I and my family do! If you’ve never made these before and you have a question, feel free to ask below!Dani, Gordon & Kiki – Black Cat Kitchen
PrinceofJive on
I love these. Haven’t had them in so long. Ty for the nostalgia
Many_Tomatillo5060 on
Ohhhh I’m so going to try making these! Thanks for passing along such a special recipe!
whatweworked4 on
Thank you so much for sharing! Saved to bake at some point.
4 Comments
Let me show you how to make my Nonna’s magical struffoli recipe! Struffoli, also known as cicerchiata, is an Italian Christmas tradition that we’ve had in my family since I can remember! For me, a Christmas table isn’t complete without these gorgeous dough balls adorned in their sticky and sweet honey sauce and colourful candy sprinkles!
This very special struffoli recipe comes from my Zia Marisa, who used to make it with my Nonna, her mom, at Christmas time. She now makes struffoli with her grandkids, and they look forward to doing it together every year! Buon Natale!
If you’re a visual learner, check out my recipe video here! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=panEiBzp7yI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=panEiBzp7yI)
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**INGREDIENTS**
4 eggs
60ml (1/4 cup) neutral oil (canola oil, vegetable oil etc.)
zest of 1 orange (or a lemon!)
280g (2 cups + 2tbsp.) flour
830ml (3.5 cups) vegetable oil, for frying
200ml (1 cup) honey
lots of coloured sprinkles!
—–
**Method**
1. Into a bowl add 4 eggs and beat together until the mixture has lightened in colour and is beginning to froth. You want to ensure the eggs whites have been fully combined. To your eggs, add 60ml (1/4 cup) neutral oil, such as canola oil or vegetable oil.
2. Add the zest of a whole orange. Lemon is traditional, so feel free to use a lemon instead! My Nonna used, and my Zia continues to use an orange! You can substitute the zest for extract, or rum!
3. Add 280g (2 cups + 2 tbsp.) flour to your egg mixture and combine together until a very sticky dough has formed.
4. Turn out your dough onto a floured work surface and knead for around 8 minutes. I like to make sure my hands are covered in flour throughout the knead process. Push the dough away from you, and then pull it back on itself, rotating the dough throughout. You’ll know the dough is ready by poking it! If the dough returns, it’s ready to rest in a bowl covered with a tea towel for 60 minutes.
5. Turn your rested dough onto a floured work surface and pat it out into a rectangular shape. Roll out your dough until it’s ½ cm thick. Next, slice your dough into 1cm width strips. Then chop each strip into 1cm pieces. A pizza cutter is the best tool for this job! You should have lots and lots of 1cm x 1cm dough pieces.
6. Time to get the family involved! Roll each dough piece into a ball. Each piece doesn’t have to be perfectly spherical, but the closer you get, the better. Place each dough ball into a baking tray lined with lots of flour.
7. Into a shallow sauté pan, add vegetable oil – enough so that the oil is approximately 1 inch deep – and heat to 350F (180C). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use the end of a wooden spoon! Dip the end of the spoon into the oil; if vigorous bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is hot enough to fry!
8. Carefully spoon in some of your dough balls into the hot oil. Give them a little swish to ensure the dough balls do not stick together. Your dough balls will take 3-4 minutes to cook and they will puff up, float and brown and the ending of the 3-4 minutes. Transfer your fried dough balls to a baking tray lined with paper towel – to remove any excess oil! Continue frying your dough balls in batches.
9. Into a large frying pan/sauté pan, add 200ml (1 cup) honey and heat on medium until your honey is very runny. Turn off the heat, add your dough balls to the liquid honey and toss until all the dough balls are covered in honey.
10. Once the honey starts to cool and thicken, add half of your sprinkles to the mixture. Pile your struffoli onto a plate and finish by covering them with the remaining half of your sprinkles! Enjoy!
​
I hope you love this recipe as much as I and my family do! If you’ve never made these before and you have a question, feel free to ask below!Dani, Gordon & Kiki – Black Cat Kitchen
I love these. Haven’t had them in so long. Ty for the nostalgia
Ohhhh I’m so going to try making these! Thanks for passing along such a special recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing! Saved to bake at some point.