Struffoli Recipe: Italian Honey Balls

Struffoli, the perfect Italian Christmas dessert, are puffy balls of fried dough that are crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside. These honey balls (aka Cicerchiata) are then drenched in citrus-scented warm honey and decorated with sprinkles.

They also make the perfect addition to your platter of Italian Christmas cookies!

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

Mostaccioli and chiacchiere are two other Italian Christmas desserts originating from the Campania region of southern Italy, perfect for your favorite holiday season!

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

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

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

I want to suggest that we work the dough manually. 

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

How to make struffoli – Italian honey balls

You can choose to make these Italian 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.

The first thing we will do is make a mound and shape approximately 3-3¼ cups (450 grams) flour into a well. Start with 3 cups and evaluate how much of the ¼ cup you need to add. 

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 vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of rum. 

You can use a fork or a dough 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. 

If you prefer, you can use your stand mixer with the hook attachment to make the dough for these struffoli.

Shaping the struffoli dough 

Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured cutting board. 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 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 to 375°F (190°C).

While waiting, line a large cookie tray with a few layers of paper towels.

Use a slotted spoon or a large spider to lower 10-15 pieces of dough into hot oil at a time. Swirl the small balls of dough 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 very 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. You can also shape them into a large wreath.

Create a wreath shape: Place a large cup or bowl upside down on 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. 

Use a large spoon or a set of tongs to serve these fried dough balls with honey. 

Individual portions: For individualized serving portions, place them in festive muffin liners. 

Festive garnishings 

• 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 honey glaze are always a hit with family and friends!

How long do struffoli last? 

Without the honey, the fried dough of this Italian dessert can last up to 1-2 days at room temperature; once honey-coated, they are best eaten within 24 hours.

Tips

• You can easily cut the recipe in half if needed.
• 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. 
• When placing the little balls of dough on the parchment paper, space them out so that they do not touch each other. 
• Use a candy thermometer to monitor the heat of the oil throughout the process of frying. You will most likely have to adjust the 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 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.

Italian Christmas desserts

It’s always so exciting when your favorite Italian dessert is in the kitchen, just waiting to be served.  The truth is that the holidays would not be complete without so many traditional recipes whether it’s pizzelle, chiacchiere, mostaccioli, screppelle, Caragnoli or Chocolate chickpea calzoni, also known as Calzoni di Ceci.

Family, food and Christmas traditions -I can’t think of a better way to celebrate!  

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.

I remember helping my mom roll up the little pieces of dough just before they were ready to be fried. I couldn’t wait for Christmas day when my mom would place this dessert in the center of the table, along with her mostaccioli 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 that were only made once a year. 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 equally, if not more important, create new memories for the next generation.

I would love to hear some of your food memories!

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

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

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Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ 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!

This recipe was originally published on December 3, 2014, and republished on December 3, 2017, with updated content, photos and recently with a video.