Struffoli | Authentic Italian Christmas Dessert Recipe

If you let your eyes wander across an Italian Christmas table set for dessert, you’ll have a lot to look at, but you will inevitably find yourself fixated on the struffoli. This dessert is made up of a ton of little fried dough balls, glazed together with honey and decorated with sprinkles and candied cherries. Everyone reaches over, pulls off a ball or two, and snacks away on this addicting treat all night.

Honey is a natural preservative, which explains the origins of this odd dish. Once made, it keeps at room temperature for weeks. Christmas lasts a long time in Italy, so this was a way to have a sweet treat around that lasted for the duration of the feasting period.

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Struffoli Recipe

Makes: 1 platter of struffoli (enough to serve a large gathering or one addicted diner)

Cook Time: 3 hours, largely unattended

For this recipe, you will need:

• 3 ⅓ cups (400 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 ½ tablespoons (45 grams) sugar
• 4 ½ tablespoons (65 grams) lard
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 4 teaspoons (20 milliliters) limoncello or rum, divided
• Peanut oil (or other neutral oil), for frying
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) honey
• Multicolored sprinkles, for decorating
• Candied cherries, for decorating

Pour the flour into a pile on a large, clean work surface. Hollow out the center with your hand. Into the hollow, add the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, lard, lemon zest, salt, and 3 teaspoons (15 milliliters) of the limoncello.

Using your hand, begin mixing the ingredients together while incorporating the surrounding flour into a rough dough. Knead the dough until it is very smooth and uniform. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

Dust a large baking sheet or cutting board with flour. Cut a golf ball-size chunk of dough from the main ball and roll it under your palms into a long snake, about 1 finger in width. Slice this strand into small pieces, about a finger’s width in length. Place these on the floured baking sheet and repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Fill a large, deep pan with about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of oil and heat to about 355° F (180° C). Place 2 or 3 handfuls of dough balls into a fine mesh strainer, gently shake them to remove any excess flour, and carefully pour them into the oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat to fry the remaining dough balls.

Add the honey and remaining 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of limoncello to a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. As soon as the honey melts and starts to bubble, pour all the fried dough balls into the pan. Stirring and turning constantly with a spatula, cook the struffoli until all the honey has been absorbed by the dough. Turn off the heat and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes before plating.

Arrange the struffoli as desired. The simplest way to plate them is in a large pile on a serving platter. If you are feeling fancy, you can also heap them around a cup or jar that can be removed later, to create a ring shape.

While the honey is still warm, sprinkle the dessert with sprinkles. If you made a ring shape, wait until the honey has cooled but not completely hardened before carefully removing the center cup.

Top the dish with a few well-placed candied cherries. Allow the honey to cool and harden completely before serving.

Buon appetito!