Struffoli Recipe: Italian Honey Balls

Struffoli is a traditional Christmas treat native to the Southern Italian region of Naples. They are puffy balls of fried dough that are crispy on the outside, and light and airy on the inside. They are then drenched in citrus-scented warm honey and decorated with festive sprinkles.

Include these authentic Italian honey balls on your tray of Italian Christmas cookies this year for a tasty addition!

Struffoli is just one of the well-known southern Italian desserts you’ll love. 

Mostaccioli, chiacchiere and Roccocò are a few other traditional Italian desserts from the Campania region of southern Italy that are perfect for your holiday platter of Italian cookies.

According to folklore, these Italian honey balls are supposed to bring good luck since their spherical shape symbolizes abundance.

As is usually the case with regional Italian cooking and baking, different names of Italian cookies vary depending on where they originated.

If you were in Sicily, this confection would be called Pignolata. In Abruzzo, they would be referred to as cicerchiata and Calabria, scalilli. Regardless of their name, one thing is for sure, these Italian cookies with honey are a special Christmas treat made with simple ingredients.

Although you can use your stand mixer with the hook attachment to make the dough for these struffoli. I will suggest that we work the dough manually. 

So you will need a wooden board and some elbow grease… are you ready?

Jump to:

• How to make struffoli: Italian honey balls
• Shaping the struffoli dough 
• Frying the dough
• The honey coating
• How to serve struffoli
• Festive garnishings 
• FAQ
• Tips
• Neapolitan Christmas desserts
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

How to make struffoli: Italian honey balls

As previously mentioned, you can make these Italian sweet fritters with a stand mixer or the old-fashioned way with a wooden board and a lot of elbow grease.

Since the video in this article shows the method with the stand mixer, let me explain how these balls of honey come together on a wooden board.

We will first make a mound and shape approximately 3-3¼ cups of flour (450 grams) into a well. Start with 3 cups and evaluate how much of the ¼ cup you need to add to create a soft dough.

Add 4 eggs in the center of the well and with the help of a fork (or your fingertips), start beating while slowly incorporating a little bit of the flour.

Continue adding the ingredients, one by one, all the while incorporating the flour. More specifically, add 4 teaspoons of vegetable oil, 4 teaspoons of white wine, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest (organic), 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of rum. 

You can use a fork or a bench scraper in this process. Once the flour has absorbed the wet ingredients, start kneading. Almost magically, the dough becomes shiny and smooth.

That is your cue to wrap the soft dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least one hour. 

Shaping the struffoli dough 

Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. With a knife or dough scraper, cut the dough in half. Repeat two more times to obtain eight pieces of dough.

Roll out each piece of dough into a long rope about ½ inch in diameter. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.

Line up two strands of dough and, with the help of a pastry scraper or a knife, cut them into ½ inch pieces.

Roll each piece of dough between the palms of your hands to resemble a small marble. Place on a parchment-lined large cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of the strands of dough.

Frying the dough

In a wide, heavy pot or electric fryer, preheat vegetable oil (about 3 cups) between 350°F-375°F (177°C-191°C).

While waiting, layer a few large cookie trays with paper towels.

Use a large slotted spoon or a large spider to lower 10-15 pieces of dough into hot oil at a time. Swirl the tiny balls until they puff up and become golden brown. This should take about 1½ -2 minutes.

Fish them out with your slotted spoon or spider and transfer them to the paper-lined tray to drain.

Continue frying the rest of the dough in small batches.

The honey coating

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of honey with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice over low heat. Heat for a few minutes until the honey becomes runny. 

While waiting, transfer the warm pieces of fried dough to a large mixing bowl. 

Pour the hot honey glaze over the struffoli. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, combine gently until well coated.

How to serve struffoli

Pile them up: While they are still warm, pile the struffoli balls on a large cake stand or platter and decorate them with your favorite garnishings, like orange zest. You can also shape them into a large wreath. Use a large spoon or a set of tongs to serve these fried dough balls with honey. 

Create a wreath: Spray the outside of a straight-sided water glass or bowl and place it upside down in the center of a large serving platter. Place the honey-drenched struffoli all around this “centerpiece.” Then, remove it, and you have the shape of a wreath. Complete the festive look with garnishings. 

Individual servings: Place them in festive muffin liners for individualized serving portions. 

Festive garnishings 

Try adding some colorful garnishings to give your struffoli a festive look. Feel free to experiment with combinations to find the perfect topping for your holiday feast! Here are a few ideas:

• colorful nonpareils
• candied red and green cherries
• citrus zest, orange, or lemon
• strips of candied orange or lemon peel
• candied nuts
• candy
• edible ribbons

No matter what shape it takes or how you decorate them, these Italian fried cookies with sweet honey glaze are always a hit with the whole family!

FAQ

Tips

• You can easily cut the recipe in half if needed.
• Use high-quality honey for the best results.
• Replace the rum with grappa or brandy. You can also replace it with 1 teaspoon of rum extract. 
• Cutting and rolling the balls of dough uniformly ensures they all fry and cook evenly. 
• Space the little balls of dough out on the parchment paper, so they are not touching each other before frying. This will prevent them from sticking to one another.
• Use a candy thermometer if possible to ensure that your oil is at the right temperature (between 350°F and 375°F). You will most likely have to adjust the level of heat. 
• Warming up the honey on low heat, just enough to make it runny, facilitates coating the entire balls of struffoli.
• Use a cake stand or serving plate with a bit of a rim to enclose the struffoli balls.
• For best results, fry the dough the same day it is made. If necessary, refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Neapolitan Christmas desserts

Christmas is a time for family, friends, and food. In the Italian region of Campania, people come together to enjoy some of the area’s delectable traditional treats. 

Some other Neapolitan favorites include these authentic family recipes for chiacchiere, and mostaccioli.

Recipe origins

You can probably guess that this was one of the many recipes my mom would make exclusively at Christmas time. If you have been following along, you know that my mom was born in Molinara, Benevento. This is the Campania region of Italy.

I remember helping my mom roll up the little pieces of dough just before they were fried. I couldn’t wait for Christmas day when my mom would place this dessert in the center of the table, along with pizzelle and chestnut cookies, aka  Calzoni di castagne.

Everyone, both kids and kids at heart, would gather around the table waiting for their favorite Italian dessert to appear – struffoli always captures everyone’s attention!

My eyes were focused on that delicious-looking platter -the one with the honey balls. I would always grab the ones at the bottom of the mound… I figured there was more honey, so they had to be sweeter.

Looking back, I think that was part of the Christmas magic… the anticipation that there would be so many wonderful meals and baked goods only made on special occasions. Couple that with the expectation of spending time with cousins and the extended family and, of course, the men singing a cappella after a few glasses of homemade wine and grappa.

No iPhones to capture those priceless moments but the memories are vivid in my mind.

One of the reasons that I continue to make and document so many “family” recipes is because they trigger memories. A particular smell or taste is all it takes.

I can still see my mom patiently peeling the outer shell of boiled chestnuts -the magical ingredient in her chestnut and chocolate sweet ravioli.

Hoping these recipes will also revive some of the beautiful memories you have and, if not, more importantly, create new memories for the next generation.

Forever in my heart, always on my mind. I dedicate this post to the loving memory of my mom ♥ Tanti Auguri mamma♥

★★★★★ If you have made this recipe for struffoli, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This recipe was originally published on December 3, 2014, republished on December 3, 2017, and again on December 3, 2022, with updated content. Thanks for sharing!