Un Po' di Struffoli

 Struffoli is a very, very, very traditional Italian Christmas dessert. There is no Italian Christmas without struffoli. Kids love it, adults re-kindle their youth, and we all get to enjoy the happiness of fried goodness with some honey. Do yourself a favor, either make it, or go buy it. But I know some of you guys do not have access to Italian bakeries in countries like Kazakhstan or Mongolia (whoever you are readers, HELLO! It's cool to see the blog being seen in such foreign places!!!), so you have no choice but to make it for yourself. Which is the way it should be done. This way you know it will be delicious and you can do it with friends and family, laughing, joking, and arguing :)

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups of Flour
3 Eggs
Zest of 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 Tbsp of Sugar
Small Pinch of Salt
1 Tbsp of Limoncello or Orange Juice
1 cup of Honey
Vegetable Oil for frying

Preparation

1) In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients (dough will be very sticky) dump dough onto a floured surface and form into a ball (add more flour as you pull it together so it’s no longer sticky.

2) Sprinkle a little flour in a small bowl and set the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

3) In a large pot or a deep fryer, add enough oil to get up to about 3 inches. Heat over medium high heat until the oil is about 370 degrees when tested with a thermometer.

4) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour, set aside, also line another baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

5) Once the dough has rested, place it on a floured surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin rope shape and cut ¼ inch pieces. Roll each piece into a round ball and place them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

6) Fry the struffoli carefully in the hot oil making sure to constantly turn them around as they fry for even cooking, once they are deep golden brown, remove onto the paper towel lined baking sheet.

6) Heat the honey in a small pot until slightly runny, add it to a big bowl and add in the cooked struffoli, toss them well for a few minutes or until they are well covered in the honey.  Sprinkle over some sprinkles and let them sit for a while before serving.