Struffoli (small traditional fritters)

Typical Christmas dessert. These are small hard fritters, flavored with honey.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 ¼ lb all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ oz butter
• 1 ¾ oz granulated sugar
• 1 oz milk
• ⅛ oz salt
• ⅛ oz baking soda
• ⅝ lb eggs
• ⅛ oz anise, in powder

For icing

• 1 lb honey
• 3 ½ oz granulated sugar
• ¾ oz colored sprinkles
• 2 oz candied orange
• 1 ¾ oz yellow pumpkins
• ⅛ oz anice seeds

Preparation

30 minutes preparation + 5 minutes cooking

According to tradition this is a dessert which promises good omens, since it consists of lots of small balls symbolizing abundance, a perfect dish for Christmas and New Year wishes!

Struffoli are usually prepared using the same ingredients, but every family has its own guarded secrets for this recipe.
Here is our chefs’ choice.

Step 1

Form a well in the flour, put the butter inside, add the egg and then the rest of the ingredients.

Step 2

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly to obtain a smooth homogeneous dough and leave to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Roll out the dough, shape some little balls and cut these into 0.4 inch pieces. Then fry them in abundant oil.

Step 3

Dice the orange and the pumpkin and put into a pot with the caster sugar.

Step 4

Add the honey and the colored sprinkles and boil everything for two minutes.

Step 5

Check the consistency which must be foamy and sugary.

Step 6

Put the fried Struffoli into the sauce and mix everything together well.

Chef's Tips

Food history