Nonna’s Italian Struffoli
Italian struffoli are small fried dough balls covered in a sweet, sticky honey mixture. Learn how to make this decadent dessert just the way my Nonna did and impress everyone you serve it to!
Growing up with an Italian grandmother spoiled me.
We were treated to some amazing food.
Not the least of all was Nonna’s struffoli recipe.
A mound of fried dough covered in sticky, sweet orange honey sauce appeared for special occasions.
And we were always so happy when it did!
What are struffoli or Italian honey balls?
Struffoli and Italian honey balls are interchangeable names for the same treat.
It is a holiday dessert often served at Christmas.
The dessert features small, light, airy dough balls put together often in a wreath shape or mound and held together in a sweet honey sauce.
It’s often served decked out with sprinkles and cherries for an extra festive flair.
What part of Italy is struffoli from?
Struffoli is a traditional dessert you’d find in the Campania region, which is an area in southern Italy surrounding Naples.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Flour– All purpose
- Baking powder– for lift
- Salt– to balance the sweetness
- Eggs– At room temperature
- Butter– Melted
- Sugar– Granulated
- Vanilla– Real vanilla extract is best here since the recipe uses so much of it.
- Orange zest and juice– Both optional but highly recommended for extra bright flavor.
- Honey
- Oil– A light oil like canola oil for frying
- Garnishes– Sprinkles and cherries. These are optional but make the dessert so pretty!
How to Make
These Italian honey balls may seem kind of involved, but take a deep breath and go step by step and you’ll see it’s not as bad as you might think!
To start, just stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Set the dry ingredients aside.
In a second large bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until smooth.
Then, add flour in and mix until everything is fully incorporated.
It should form a thick dough.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and cover it.
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan until 375 F.
While the oil heats, roll the dough into 1 inch diameter tubes.
Then slice the tubes every ½ inch and roll the dough pieces into balls.
Dust a large bowl lightly with flour and put the dough balls into the bowl.
Once you’ve turned all the dough into balls, drop them into hot oil one at a time in batches of 10 and cook until they are golden, about 4-5 minutes.
When they are golden, use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked balls and place on a paper towel lined dish.
Repeat this until all dough has been fried.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the honey, sugar and orange juice until it just starts to bubble.
Then remove it from heat and let it to sit for 5 minutes.
Add the dough balls in batches to the saucepan and gently toss them around until they are fully coated with the honey syrup.
Transfer to a serving platter and repeat until you’ve tossed all the fried balls in the honey.
When everything is on the platter, add sprinkles and cherries.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container on your counter for up to 3 days.
Can I make struffoli ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the dough balls up to 5 days ahead of time.
Just don’t toss them in honey until prior to serving or add the sprinkles ahead of time.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a kitchen thermometer to make sure the oil is at the right temperature. The oil should be at 375 to get the perfectly crisp exterior and soft fluffy interior.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when you are frying them..
- Make sure you warm the honey mixture. It makes it easier to get an even coating.
Other Italian Desserts
Nonna’s struffoli recipe is a favorite for any Christmas gathering. Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Italian style desserts? Try these:
- Italian Cannoli Dip
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Tiramisu
- Italian Cannoli Poke Cake
If you’ve tried this STRUFFOLI RECIPE, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Nonna's Struffoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one orange optional
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice optional
- canola oil for frying
- Maraschino cherries and sprinkles for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt; set aside
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until smooth
- Add flour in and mix until fully incorporated, dough should be thick
- Divide dough into 4 equal portions; chill for at least 30 minutes
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan until 375 F
- Roll dough into 1 inch diameter tubes, then slice every ½ inch along, roll into balls and place into large bowl (you can lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking)
- Drop the dough balls into hot oil one at a time in batches of 10 and cook until golden, about 4-5 minutes
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked balls and place on a paper towel lined dish; repeat until all dough has been used
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the honey, sugar and orange juice until just starting to bubble, remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes
- add the dough balls in batches to the saucepan and stir around until fully coated with the honey syrup, then transfer to a serving platter
- Add sprinkles and cherries
Notes
- Use a kitchen thermometer to make sure the oil is at the right temperature. The oil should be at 375 to get the perfectly crisp exterior and soft fluffy interior.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when you are frying them..
- Make sure you warm the honey mixture. It makes it easier to get an even coating.
Nutrition
