Struffoli recipe (Ricetta per struffoli)

Its struffoli time :D......... yum yum! This neapolitan dessert makes my mouth water.. and its really good to eat during winter. Struffoli is a Neapolitan dessert that is made of small fried dough balls (the size of pearls) coated in honey. Its normally made during the christmas-easter period here in Naples. Struffoli is then topped with colored rice (diavulilli), cherries and cinnamon confection. It is quite easy to prepare but will need a necessary amount of patience (especially when slicing the dough into little pearl balls). My husband goes crazy when he sees a plate of struffoli... he just loves cracking this in his mouth!

Here is the recipe:

For the dough:

600 grams of flour

4 eggs and 1 yellow

2 tablespoons of sugar

80 grams of butter

5 tablespoons of limoncello or rum
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
A pinch of salt

Oil for frying 

For decoration:

400grams of honey

Colored confection (called diavulilli - means little devils in italian)

cinnamon confection (confettini cannellini) 

candied cherries (ciliegia candita - you can also use candied oranges/peaches)

Method:

Mix all the ingriedients for the dough together in a bowl. Combine with the hand mixer using the dough mixer hook. Once combined, knead using hands for about 10 minutes. Later form dough into golf ball sizes. Roll the golf sized dough into long cylindrical strips using your hand (diameter about 5cms - not too small, bigger is ok but not too big, or else it wont be so tasty). Slice dough (about 5cm apart).

Heat up oil in a wok. Fry dough in hot oil until dough is brown and crispy. Place fried dough on paper towels to remove excess oil. 

Once frying of the dough balls are complete, In another wok, heat honey. Pour the fried dough into the wok and mix throughly until all the dough balls are coated with honey. Stop the flame on the stove and stir in the cinnamon confection and mix thoroughly..

Place the mixture onto a plate. Top the mixture with colored confection and place candied cherries. Struffoli is served!!