Struffoli:

(serves: 10-15)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• Sugar – 1 cup
• Butter – 2 oz. (unsalted)
• Eggs – 5
• Vanilla – 2 teaspoons
• Flour – 4 cups
• Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
• Lemon – 1, grated

For the honey syrup:

• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Honey – 16 oz.
• Cinnamon – 1/4 teaspoon

For frying:

• Vegetable oil – 6-8 cups

Garnishing:

• Candied mixed fruit – 1/2 cup, chopped
• Sprinkles – 1 tablespoon

Method: (This recipe utilizes an electric mixer. They can be made by hand by following the instructions and increasing the blending and mixing times by 5-10 minutes to insure proper consistency.)

• In the bowl of your electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place, blend together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  This should take 5-8 min on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl down from time to time as needed.

• Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

• Add the vanilla, flour, baking powder, grated lemon zest and blend well until a soft dough is formed. (If dough seem to sticky, add a little additional flour in order to achieve a workable dough that will not stick to your hands.)

• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured board into a long rope the diameter of a pencil. Then cut each rope into 1/2 inch size pieces. Lightly roll between the palms of your hands to create small ball shapes.

• Heat the oil to 350 F.

• Fry the dough pieces in the hot oil about 12 at a time. Cook until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a sheet pan lined with absorbent paper to drain. Repeat until all dough had been fried and drained. Then transfer all to a clean bowl and reserve until needed.

• In a medium pot, combine the sugar and water.  Stir over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Then add the honey and the cinnamon. Continue to stir until mixture reaches a simmer.

• Remove the pot from the heat and pour into the bowl with the fried dough balls, mixing and tossing the balls gently and simultaneously with a spatula to make sure that all are coated well.

• At this point, you can toss some of the candied chopped fruit into the bowl and mix in reserving the rest of the candied fruits for the garnishing.

To shape:

struffoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a decorative serving tray or plate, now begin to mound the honey balls.

Christmas wreath shaped struffoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If making the wreath shape, place a clean glass, or glass jar in the center of your plate and build your honey ball wreath around it. Remove the glass mold when you are ready to garnish.

Garnish:

Once you have completed plating, use the colorful sprinkles and reserves candied fruits to festively decorate the top.

 

 Happy Holidays ~ Buon Natale!