Italian Honey Balls Recipes

HONEY-GARLIC GLAZED MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine eggs and milk. Add the bread crumbs, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. Place on greased racks in shallow baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain meatballs; add to sauce. Carefully stir to evenly coat. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

STRUFFOLI ITALIAN HONEY BALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, the baking powder and the salt, then add the butter, orange zest, sugar and Grand Marnier (or orange juice), start to combine with a fork until crumbly.
• Add the eggs one at a time and mix to combine, when almost combined move the mix to a lightly floured flat surface add an extra 1 - 1/2 tablespoons flour and knead together to form a soft dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest 30 minutes.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into thin ropes 1/4 inch in diameter. Cut to make small cubes and roll each cube into a ball slightly smaller than a marble. Try to make them all the same size.
• In a medium pot add 2-3 inches of oil and heat to 350°F add the struffoli (in batches) turning a couple of times and when golden drain on a paper towel lined plate and let cool.
• While struffoli are cooling in a large pan on low / medium heat, heat the honey until warm and slightly watery. Add the cooled struffoli and mix to coat, then sprinkle with sprinkles and slivered almonds.
• Then form the honey balls into desired shape, dome, donut (see video)** pyramid. It is best to oil the glass before placing it in the middle of the plate. Let the finished Struffoli sit until the honey solidifies (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours) and then serve. Enjoy!

STRUFOLI II

Steps:

• Melt the butter or margarine over low heat. Mix together in a large bowl 2-1/2 cups of the flour. Add sugar, baking powder, lemon rind and salt. Make a depression in the middle. Drop into it the eggs and the melted butter or margarine. Mix with a wooden spoon and then with the hands until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed. Knead dough on floured surface until it isn't sticky anymore.
• Break off pieces of dough and roll into ropes about the size of a pencil. Cut into pieces 1/4 inch long. Roll these pieces into little balls and set aside.
• In deep frying pan, heat oil about 2 inches deep. Fry balls until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring 1-1/2 cups of pure honey to a boil. Let honey boil gently for about 3 minutes before adding little dough balls, stirring gently with wooden spoon until they are well-coated.
• Remove balls from honey with a slotted spoon and place in a deep dish or mound them on a platter. Sprinkle surface evenly with nuts and multicolored sprinkles. Cool.

STRUFFOLI O CICERCHIATA (ITALIAN HONEY DOUGH BALLS)

Steps:

• Mix flour, eggs, butter, sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, rum extract, and salt together in a large bowl to create a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into a thin log the width of your pinky finger, about 1/4 inch. Cut log into small pieces; roll into balls. Dust with flour to prevent from sticking.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan. Place a few balls of dough in a sieve to shake off excess flour. Cook in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
• Pour honey into a saucepan over low heat. Cook until a small amount of honey dropped into cold water forms a soft ball. Add fried balls of dough to the hot honey; stir gently with a wooden spoon until coated.
• Rinse a serving plate and shake off the water. Pile dough balls onto the serving plate in the shape of a dome or ring using damp hands or a damp wooden spoon. Garnish with sugar sprinkles. Let cool completely.

STRUFOLI - ITALIAN HONEY BALLS RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• Place flour on board, making a well in the center. Place eggs, egg yolk, shortening, sugar, salt and lemon peel into the well. Mix well, working the dough with your hands. Shape into very small balls, the size of marbles. Let dough balls rest about 20 minutes, covered with clean towel. Heat oil in deep pot. Oil should be at a temperature of 350°F. Drop the balls, a few at a time into the hot oil. They'll float, just turn them around a bit for even browning. Melt honey in a saucepan and add orange zest. As soon as the balls are fried, take them from the oil directly to the honey pot. Let the float around in there for about 30 seconds. Take them out of the honey with a slotted spoon, placing them on a platter, piling hem into a conical shape. Sprinkle with non-pareils while the honey is still warm.

STRUFFOLI - TRADITIONAL ITALIAN HONEY BALLS

Steps:

• Let the butter soften 30 minutes into the oven turned off with the light on, then cut it into pieces and stir with a fork until smooth and inflated.
• After that, grate the lemon and orange to obtain zests.
• Now, crack the eggs and pour them into a bowl along with the sugar, the softened butter, the lemon and orange zests, 2 drops of Rum or Brandy, 1 drop of Anise flavor, and 1 pinch of salt.
• Finally, whisk until consistent.
• Add the flour, a little at a time into the butter and eggs mixture.
• Pouring the flour, pinch the dough with your fingers until the liquid will be absorbed by the flour, creating a sort of pastry crumbs.
• Now, compact and stretch out the crumbs until obtaining a consistent dough.
• Eventually, wrap the dough ant store into the lower part of the fridge at least 2 hours.
• Take a fistful of dough and roll it into a log 1/2 inch thick.
• Now, reduce the log into pieces 1/2 inch long. After that, pour the sesame oil into a pot and place over medium heat until reach 356° F (180° C).
• Eventually, fry the Struffoli a little at a time until golden, then place on paper towels to dry the oil in excess.
• Pour the honey into a nonstick pan, big enough to contain Struffoli.
• Place the pan over low heat and stir until fluid.
• Finally, place the pan far from the heat and add Struffoli and sweet decorations.
• It is possible to serve Struffoli just prepared, but the following days they will be even more delicious!

ITALIAN HONEY BALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium sized saucepan bring water,oil and salt to a boil over high heat.Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in flour,beating with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
• Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended and smooth. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon,form mixture into small balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. In a small saucepan, bring honey,sugar,and cinnamon to a boil over medium high heat.
• Continue boiling until sugar is completely dissolved. Bake 25 to 30 minutes,or until golden. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine baked balls and honey mixture in a medium-sized bowl until balls are completely coated. Pile balls into a mound on a serving platter. Do not refrigerate.

STRUFFOLI

Steps:

• For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).
• In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
• Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.