Struffoli

Struffoli are the quintessential Neapolitan Christmas sweet. A golden mound of irresistible little balls of fried dough, honey and candied fruit, scented with citrus and decorated with mixed sugar sprinkles. A feast for the eyes and the palate, and a recipe far less complicated than it looks.

The Christmas season is a time of great celebration in Naples and across the rest of Campania, and among the most iconic and beloved sweets are struffoli. These are little balls of fried dough, coated in honey and enriched with candied citrus peel and colourful sugar sprinkles. This dessert, as delicious in flavour as it is festive in appearance, is a true delight for both the palate and the eyes, sure to surprise and delight everyone who tries it. Making struffoli, the classic Neapolitan Christmas sweet, may seem complicated, but it is actually quite simple. With the right ingredients and a few tricks, you'll end up with a delightful, festive golden pyramid.

The dough is made from eggs, flour and sugar, combined with butter and flavoured with sweet liqueur and citrus zest. After resting for at least an hour, the mixture is fried, coated in honey and finished with candied fruit and colourful sugar sprinkles. If you can leave the dough to rest in the fridge overnight, the result will be even better. For perfect frying, use plenty of oil (or a mix of oil and lard) heated to 170°C.

If needed, you can fry the struffoli in advance, let them cool completely, store them in a well-sealed food bag, and finish them with honey just before serving. Tip: choose a good-quality honey — the result will be exquisite!

If you'd rather not fry them, you can try the recipe for baked struffoli instead.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough

• 500 g plain flour (00)
• 120 g caster sugar
• 60 g lard or soft butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 30 g aniseed liqueur
• 1 lemon, untreated skin
• 4 g salt

For the finish

• 1 orange, untreated skin
• 300 g wildflower honey
• 100 g caster sugar
• 100 g mixed candied fruit (citrus peel and cherries)
• coloured sugar sprinkles and/or silver dragées

HOW TO MAKE: STRUFFOLI

1

To prepare the struffoli, start by combining flour, sugar, butter and grated lemon zest. Work it with your fingers until you get large crumbs. Add the eggs and aniseed liqueur, then knead everything until you have a smooth dough. If you use a stand mixer, it's still best to finish kneading by hand on a work surface to get the dough perfectly smooth.

2

Shape the dough into the classic ball, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once rested, take it out and cut off a piece with a dough scraper or knife. On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rope about 1 cm thick and cut it into equally sized little pieces.

3

Continue in the same way until all the dough is used up, laying the little pieces out on a clean tea towel as you go. Fry them, a few at a time, in plenty of hot oil until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on kitchen paper.

4

Using a sharp small knife, remove the zest from the orange and the lemon, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith underneath. Slice into very thin strips. In a saucepan, pour in the honey and sugar and heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

5

Add the zest strips, stir and turn off the heat. Off the heat, add the struffoli and turn them very gently so they're evenly coated in honey without breaking.

6

Transfer the struffoli onto a serving plate and finish decorating with the sugar sprinkles and the remaining candied fruit.