| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1 cup (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- For the Orange Zeppole: In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return the pan to low heat and stir continuously until the mixture forms a ball, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Add the orange zest and beat until smooth. Set aside.
- For the Orange Sugar: Place the orange zest and sugar in a food processor. Pulse the machine until the mixture is blended. Set the sugar into a wide and shallow dish. Set aside.
- Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
- Using a small ice-cream scoop or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot oil. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked zeppole to the dish with the Orange Sugar. Roll to coat in the sugar. Continue frying the remaining dough.
- For the Chocolate Sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Pour cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the Chocolate Sauce into a dipping dish. Serve the zeppole alongside the Chocolate Sauce for dipping.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 989 |
| Total Fat | 65 g |
| Saturated Fat | 37 g |
| Carbohydrates | 100 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 70 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 282 mg |
| Sodium | 235 mg |
Reviews
with the zeppole I use a 1.2 cup each of lemon or orange or lime zest added to a full cup or ricotta I usethe whole milk type then add a full 8 oz container of marcopone,not the tirmamisu flavored then add a 8 oz half bag if yur fav choclate chipstehn add a 1/8 cup of yur fav brandy or liquer..allow I to sit in fridge to chill at last 3 hrs,,or over nite,,,,this is a favorite recipe if lidia bostianiche and I adore all she odes,,enjoy tu tui tavala yall,,,lol
this is very creative.
Oh so good : Do not skimp on the orange. It’s what makes the dish so good. These zeppoles are very light and airy. Not like your typical doughnut.
i actually did not watch the show on this recipe but it seemed easy enough and the picture looks so nasty… however when i made them they became very heavy and dense, i really dont know what i did wrong? maybe my oil wasnt hot enough? might try it again
my family loves zeppole! I made it for the first time 6/24/2011 and know add my own little twist.
I was very disappointed I wont be making this any more.the zeppole were not tasty when. I fry them they like little pancakes.
I’m thinking about making this for my husband today….. I’m excited.
tastey BUT I need to try it again…
Very happy with this recipe – good taste, sweet enough as is, esp with the orange zest/sugar dusting. Dough was easy to make. The orange zest really helped set this apart as far as bumping up withe flavor profile and giving it that something special.
Only challenge: Bit of a learning curve, with dropping these into the hot oil with just teaspoons — the donut shape kept looking like it had a “tail.” Tried dropping them in more quickly and that seemed to help, but took some practice. Next time, would buy a mini ice cream scooper with built-in release to drop these in oil, like Giada demo’d on her show…seems like it would be easier to control. Also had some trouble browning these evenly on both sides, just an esthetic issue with the appearance, was totally cooked through though and tasted fine. The donut/fritter just kept wanting to stay flipped on one side, though I tried to turn them in the oil. Not sure how I could have improved on it. Will definitely make this again.
Really good and easy to make. I skipped the granulated sugar part and dusted mine with confectioner sugar. And no chocolate dipping! Thought Iwould save a few calories!