Struffoli “loukoumades” 

Struffoli is a dessert originally made in Naples. It is made of small balls of fried dough, usually served with honey, cinnamon or sprinkles and other sweet ingredients. Who has ever heard of them? They are sweets in the shape of balls, fried and covered with honey decorated with colored sprinkles and cedar, really good! 

So good that one leads to another, struffoli are prepared in many different regions with small variations on the theme: in Central Italy (Abruzzo, Marche, Lazio, Umbria and Molise) they are called cicerchiata, and are characterized by the addition of oil instead of butter in the dough. In Sardinia they are called giggeri, in Salento sannachiusa or porcedduzzi, in Calabria and Basilicata, cicerata, while, in Sicily, during the Carnival period, you can taste the pignolata.

Struffoli are extremely contagious, one incredibly attracts the other because they are addictive. As a child I stretched out my hand and grabbed one at a time so they lasted longer but in reality I ended up punctually eating all of them... To date, nothing 😀 has changed yet.

Ingredients

2 packages active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

½ cup warm milk

¼ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

⅓ cup butter, softened

3 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup honey

½ cup water

4 cups vegetable oil, or as needed

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Directions

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. In a large bowl, mix the warm milk, sugar, and salt, and mix to dissolve. Pour the yeast mixture into the milk mixture, and stir to combine. Beat in the butter, eggs, and flour until the mixture forms a smooth, soft dough. Cover the bowl, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir the dough well, cover, and let rise 30 more minutes. Mix honey and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the honey syrup cool. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil should be about 2 inches deep. Place a large table or soup spoon in a glass of water near the batter. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough per puff with the wet spoon, drop it into the wet palm of your hand, and roll it back into the spoon to create a round shape. Do not overhandle the puffy, soft dough. Drop the dough balls into the hot oil in batches, wetting the spoon each time you make a dough ball. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on the bottom, and roll them over to cook the other side, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Gently set the struffoli aside to drain on paper towels. Place the struffoli  on a baking sheet, drizzle them with honey syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm.