Struffoli (Honey Balls)

Submitted by oilpatchjo

"Struffoli are fried balls of dough soaked in a boiling honey glaze. Struffoli are an Italian specialty, oftentimes served around Christmas and Easter. I used Southern Belle Honey in this recipe, and the cookies just melted in your mouth. Killer Bee Honey would provide a similar result (although the name of the honey goes against the kindly spirit of Christmas!). For a super-sweet cookie, you could try using Orange Blossom Honey, but you might find some of the flavor of this lighter honey is lost when it boils."

 

• Ready In: 43mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 60 balls
• Serves: 60

ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1 quart vegetable oil (for frying)
• 1⁄8 cup flour (for dusting)
• 1⁄8 cup candy sprinkles

• Honey Glaze

• 1 1⁄2 cups honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 ounces slivered almonds, for topping

directions

1. Beat together eggs, sugar, and oil until foamy. Add flour and baking soda slowly while kneading. Knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
2. Divide into 8 smaller balls. Roll each ball into a rope 1/2 inch across, and cut into pieces 1/3-1/2 inch long. Flour each piece lightly to prevent them from sticking together. Fry dough in oil at 375 until golden brown and puffy. Drain well. Arrange fried dough in a tray or mixing bowl.
3. Prepare Honey Glaze, and pour over fried dough turn dough until evenly coated with Honey Glaze.

4. Honey Glaze directions:

5. Boil liquid ingredients until thick remove from heat, and pour over cake.
6. Arrange in a pyramid on a serving plate, and cover with candy sprinkles or slivered almonds.
7. Cool before serving.

Reviews

[Vicki Kaye]

Thanks for an interesting recipe. There are a couple of inconsistencies--probably just needs proof-reading. The list of ingredients says baking powder, but the instructions says baking soda, making me wonder which one is correct. Also, it doesn't state in instructions to put the lemon rind into the dough, and so I inadvertently left it out, even though it was in list of ingredients. And maybe my last gripe is due to my own ignorance, but can you tell me how I'm supposed to knead dough that is basically still liquid? I used the dough hook on my machine for quite awhile--it didn't get thicker (I couldn't possibly have kneaded that by hand). The only thing that worked was adding about cup and a half of flour just to be able to handle it whatsoever, and then it was still very sticky. Maybe I was doing something wrong however. All that said, it was very fun to fry the balls, and my husband and daughter loved them. Please address the above issues and I would like to improve the rating. Thanks again!