STRUFFOLI
The intriguing part about struffoli is that everyone has a unique recipe and often the secrets to getting them just right are kept close by Nonna. I have a special ingredient from my Nonna that makes my struffoli original and slightly citrus. This struffoli recipe pairs the perfect citrus flavors of orange and lemon with the sweetness of honey to bring a pop of freshness to your Christmas dessert!
Watch the Struffoli Video Recipe here:
How To Make STRUFFOLI Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Plate Tips
Use My Nonna’s Limoncello
No Mixer, No Problem
Resting the Dough
Rolling the Struffoli Dough
When you’re ready to roll your struffoli into a snake-like shape, start by placing your hands in the middle of the dough and gently move outwards as you roll.
Using Peanut Oil to Fry
Cooking the Struffoli
This is exactly what we want to happen because it gives us a crispy, crunchy outside shell and a soft inside. Struffoli only take about one minute for each ball to cook, so make sure you are always watching to remove them before they start burning!
How To Serve Struffoli
It is best to begin eating the struffoli once they have cooled to allow all the flavors to come
together, but I can’t blame you if you can’t wait any longer. Even I can’t resist eating the struffoli while they’re still warm!
Struffoli Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer (or your hands)
- Rolling pin
- Cutting board
- knife
- Zester or Grater
- Dry tea towel for resting the dough
- Baking Tray for the dough
- Large plate for cooling
- Parchment paper
- Medium saucepan
- Skimming ladle for frying
- Paper towels
- Large Frying pan
- Spatula suitable for frying
- Serving plater or Cupcake holders
Ingredients
- 230 grams All-purpose flour 8 oz
- 2 tbsp White sugar
- 2 Organic eggs
- 2 tbsp Llimoncello Preferably homemade
- 2 tbsp Peanut oil Plus extra for frying
- 1 Lemon medium sized
- 1 Orange medium sized
- Pinch of salt
- 150 grams Honey 5,29 oz
- Candied fruit orange and lemon
- Sprinkles Optional
Instructions
To Make the struffoli dough
- Add 1 ⅓ cups of flour (230g) to a mixing bowl, followed by 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 eggs.
- Add zest from half a lemon and orange along with 2 tablespoons of limoncello, peanut oil and a pinch of salt.
- Begin mixing on medium speed or by hand. It should take about 2 minutes to form a dough in a mixer.
- If your dough is really sticky, add a little flour and mix again. Repeat this process until the dough soaks up all the ingredients from inside the bowl and on the sides.
- Sprinkle a light amount of flour onto a wooden board or your work surface before removing the dough from the mixer.
- Place dough on the surface and begin to gently knead it until it becomes nice and smooth. Incorporate small amounts of flour only as needed.
- Cover the struffoli dough with a dry tea towel and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
To cook the struffoli
- After 30 minutes, remove the dough from your tea towel and stretch it with a rolling pin into a wide oval – only roll it a few times, making sure it’s not too thin.
- Cut a piece of the dough – up to 1.5cm wide – and begin rolling it with the palm of your hands until you get a long, medium-sized snake.
- Place it to the side on a tray with some baking paper underneath so it doesn’t stick.
- Keep forming the long snake-like shapes until you finish the struffoli dough.
- Put up to 10 of them at a time back on your bench/wooden board and cut them straight down into pillow-like shapes, making each piece less than 1cm.
- Place the cut pieces back onto the tray with baking paper, so they don’t stick.
- Heat up peanut oil in a deep saucepan and bring it up to approx. 180°C (356°F).
- Drop each small ball into the oil separately to make sure none of them stick together.
- Gently lift and turn the struffoli until they are golden brown all around. Each stuffoli takes about 1 minute to cook, so keep an eye on them!
- Lift out of the oil and strain each struffoli. Transfer them onto a plate with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
To decorate the struffoli
- Heat a large saucepan.
- Add 5oz of honey (150 grams), followed by 1 tablespoon of sugar, and mix.
- Add struffoli to the bubbling mixture of honey and sugar. Stir to coat the struffoli.
- Add lemon and orange zest to your liking and continue to mix.
- Turn off the heat and add candied fruit and sprinkles and mix well before transferring quickly to a serving plate or cupcake holders.
- Add sprinkles or leave plain – they are so full of flavour already!
- Serve cooled.
Video
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
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Vincenzo. I made the struffoli yesterday and the were shiny. This morning they no longer have a shiny coating. Instead they are dull and the honey is pooled in the bottom of the plate. What mistake did I make? Please advise so I can have them look perfect next year
You did nothing wrong, it’s just gravity, you can heat it back up and mix them around again