italian honey balls

This struffoli recipe is the perfect holiday treat! Make crispy Italian honey balls with fresh oranges, pantry staples, and colorful sprinkles.

Italian Struffoli + Video

eggs

orange zest

vanilla extract

sugar

butter

all-purpose flour

baking powder

vegetable oil

honey

orange juice

Rainbow nonpareils

To the bowl of a food processor, add eggs; pulse until frothy. Add orange zest, vanilla, sugar, and melted butter, and process until combined and foamy.

Add flour and baking powder to the mixture and pulse just until combined.  The dough will be very sticky.

Wrap dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

When dough is chilled, transfer to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into four even sections. Roll each section into a long rope, about the same thickness as your finger.

Cut each rope of dough into sections ½ to 1-inch wide.

Roll each section into a ball - the balls should be no larger than the size of a marble. Sprinkle the balls of dough with flour to prevent them from sticking to each other while rolling the remaining dough.

Add 3 to 4 inches of cooking oil to a heavy bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Allow oil to reach a frying temperature of 350°F. (Use an instant-read candy thermometer to determine the oil temperature).

Fry dough balls in batches of 10 or so. Roll balls in the oil so they brown evenly on all sides. They will turn golden brown quite quickly.

Using a slotted spoon, lift them out of the oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

To make the honey glaze, add honey, orange juice, and ½ cup granulated sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Cook, continuously stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Add the fried dough balls into the large saucepan and toss to fully coat with honey glaze.

Spray a tall cylindrical drinking glass with non-stick cooking spray and set it in the center of a round plate (you can also use a springform pan as the sides help hold everything in while the struffoli sets.

Mound the glazed struffoli balls to form a wreath around the glass. Sprinkle liberally with rainbow nonpareils.

Allow the struffoli to set for 2-3 hours. Before serving, remove the glass from the center of the wreath.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1668100297/cqscvfhk7bqu0ideapgc.mp4

Struffoli are a crispy, citrus-y treat to enjoy this winter! This Italian Christmas dessert recipe is sweet as honey and a breeze to make!

Struffoli Recipe

Make these delicious Italian Struffoli honey balls to bring good luck and make holiday season feel special!

Struffoli

flour

tbsp rum (or brandy)

vegetable oil (, 2 tbsp or cooking lard)

sugar (, 2 tbsp)

lemon (zest only)

orange (zest only)

salt

Vegetable oil

liquid honey ((about 400 g))

sugar sprinkles

cherries

oranges (, see notes below if you want to make homemade)

Mix all ingredients for the dough in a food processor or with a stand mixer until a dough ball forms. Knead it by hand for a few minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Wrap in a plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Make the dough:

Once the dough is rested cut off a piece of dough and roll it with your hands into ⅓ inch (1 cm) thick rope. Then cut the rope again into ⅓ inch (1 cm) pieces.NOTE: You should not need any flour for dusting the worksurface as the dough won’t stick. But in case it does stick a little, slightly dust the worksurface with a flour.

Roll each piece quickly between the palm of your hands (or against the work surface) giving it a round shape.Arrange on 6&quot;x6&quot; *(5x15 cm) piece of parchement paper. This will help transfer the balls into hot oil quickly and without burning yourself.

Roll the rest of the dough.

Roll the dough:

Preheat vegetable oil for frying in a deep pan to 350F (175C) - perfect temperature for frying.Make sure to heat the oil on medium heat and use enough of it so that the dough balls float freely in the pan.

Let dough balls slide from parchment paper into hot oil. Fry in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Toss and flip the dough balls from time to time until lightly golden brown.

Once ready transfer fried struffoli on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Fry Struffoli

Warm up honey on very low heat until fluid. Add struffoli and stir gently to cover them all.

Honey Sauce

Cut both cherries and orange peels into small cubes. You can mix some into honey-covered struffoli or use them only for decoration at the next step.

Mound struffoli on a serving plate forming a mountain shape or a ring shape. To make a ring shape, brush the sides of a glass or a small ball with a litttle oil or cooking spray and place it in the center of a plate. Arrange honey balls around it. Allow struffoli to set to about 2 hours then remove the glass. Decorate with candied fruit and sugar sprinkles.

Have a serving spoon and cupcake cups ready for serving.

Decorate

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Italian Struffoli + Video

Struffoli

Top 2 italian honey balls recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian honey balls recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Italian Struffoli + Video

Struffoli

The most viewed italian honey balls recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine