| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 12 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 12 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Canola oil, for frying
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- Sugar sprinkles, for decoration
- Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Instructions
- For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don’t have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).
- In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
- Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 606 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 67 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 68 mg |
| Sodium | 149 mg |
Reviews
Wonderful recipe. I made it for my mother who talked about how her mother made them for her when she was a kid and she said that I was “very close” in Italian that means that I did a great job!
I could not find my mom’s struffoli recipe, so I searched, after trial and error, these were the best as far as taste and simplicity. My mom used butter and eggs always, her mom was from Sicily, so they are authentic.
This is Giada’s version. The authentic recipe doesn’t require butter, nor nuts. It us much simpler.
Nope, so wrong….
These were delicious. My father makes them every Christmas, but he uses Anisette liquor and no nuts. My wife and I made these tonight, but tweaked the recipe slightly. We used Moscato wine, which has citrus and peach notes. We topped them with chopped pecans. This was a trial run. Next time, we will make sure the butter is not so soft and add additional flour. Our dough was a little too sticky and stuck to the plastic wrap. The bottle of honey was 12 oz, instead of 8.
This recipe brought me back to my mom’s kitchen in the Bronx. I airfryed them instead of cooking in oil. They were delicious.
Great! Another variation my mother used to make when she got tired of frying of the little balls was to roll out the dough and cut them into strips with a ravioli cutter, fry them and called them “Christmas Ribbons” – less time-consuming but same great taste.
What is the substitute to make this recipe gluten free? I use this recipe every year but was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
I have used this recipe for about 4 years now. I follow the recipe except I add water instead of wine. I also do not roll out the dough. I just take small junks of the dough and roll each into a ball. They are delicious and taste the same as my mom used to make.
Super delicious! Best Struffoli!