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Desserts

Struffoli (Neapolitan Honey Balls)

Struffoli are a traditional Christmas dessert from Naples: little balls of fried dough tossed in honey and topped with sprinkles and candied fruit.
Recipe Struffoli (Neapolitan Honey Balls)
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Preparation 25 minutes
  • Cooking 15 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Neapolitan Struffoli are a Traditional Christmas Dessert from Naples, but they are made all over southern Italy, where they go by different names, such as Cicerchiata, which is made at Carnival time.

The Struffoli Recipe is quite simple, as are its ingredients, which come from a farmhouse tradition. The dough is made with flour, eggs and a little sugar and then flavored with limoncello or anise for an extra note of flavor. It is then divided into lots of little balls that are fried in hot oil for a few minutes, where they puff up, making the Struffoli golden and fragrant.

The Fried Struffoli are then tossed in honey and typically decorated with colored sprinkles, candied fruit and tiny sugar-coated candies, turning the dish into a true feast of holiday flavors and colors. But we promise that even with just colored sprinkles they will disappear fast, because once you start eating them you can’t stop.

If you’re looking for more Neapolitan Dessert Recipes, we suggest trying Mostaccioli, Roccocò, Pastiera Napoletana and Sfogliatelle Ricce. If instead you want to make more Christmas Desserts for your holiday dessert buffet, take a look at our collection of the Best Traditional Christmas Desserts.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the Struffoli, sift the flour onto a work surface and shape it into a well. Add the oil, eggs, sugar, limoncello, lemon zest and the butter, softened beforehand and cut into small cubes.
  2. Start working everything together with a fork, then continue with your hands until you have a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a rope, then cut it into lots of little pieces about 1 cm (1/2 inch) long. Continue the same way until you have used up all the dough.
    Struffoli, step 2: the dough rolled into ropes and cut into small pieces
  3. Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a pot, and when the oil reaches 180 °C (350 °F) (be sure to check it with a food thermometer), drop in a few Struffoli. When they float back to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon and set them on a tray lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil.
    Struffoli, step 3: frying the struffoli in hot oil
  4. Pour half the honey into a bowl, then add the hot Struffoli. Pour the rest of the honey into the bowl, stir well to coat all the Struffoli, add the sugar sprinkles too and stir again. Arrange the Struffoli on a serving plate, add more sugar sprinkles and serve. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

If you like, you can also add Candied Fruit to your Struffoli.

Alternatively, you can bake the Struffoli in the oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for about fifteen minutes.

Tips

We recommend cutting the Struffoli small and all about the same size: that way they won’t end up too big when they puff up in the oil, and they will cook evenly.

Storage

You can keep the Struffoli for a couple of days under a glass cake dome.

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