Homemade Struffoli Recipe: Gluten-Free Italian Honey Balls (2024)

FAQs

What does struffoli taste like? ›

Struffoli are loaded with wonderful citrus flavor and despite being bathed in orange juice and honey, are not overly sweet. They are similar to the Sicilian dessert pignolata which are honey balls with pinenuts, and the Greek dessert, loukoumades, which are slightly larger dough balls also tossed with honey.

To make these Italian honey balls you need; flour (Tipo 00 is typically used in Italy but all-purpose flour will also work), sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder, orange zest, rum (or liqueur of choice), honey, sprinkles, and vegetable oil for frying.

You can find struffoli (another name for pignolata)in Perugia made with honey, sugar and candied fruits. It used to be made in Sicily usually during Carnevale, but is now also made during Christmas. You can find pignolata in different parts of Sicily with different names: pignocata, pagnuccata, pignolata.

Turdilli are similar to Struffoli – both are dripping in honey, however Turdilli cookies include a special ingredient – wine! Turdilli are native to Calabria, but Italians and Italian Americans everywhere enjoy them.

30 g of honey cake (Osem) contains 120 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 55% carbs, 38% fat, and 7% protein. This has a relatively high calorie density, with 400 Calories per 100g.

We wanted a real answer, so we sent off some of our mead for lab analysis. Our flagship mead Foundation has a calorie count of 177.5 per 6oz serving. One of our lighter base meads only came in at 100 calories per 6 ounces.

From that information, he could calculate how many calories you get from a one-pound heart (650), a four-pound liver (2,569), and three pounds of nerve tissue (2,001). After combining all organs together, you can basically slap a nutritional label on a human corpse that reads: 125,822 calories.

Italy

Struffoli / Place of origin

The ingredient list for traditional Greek loukoumades is very simple, flour, sugar, yeast, salt, sesame seeds, cinnamon, and loads and loads of honey — preferably Greek honey if you can find it! And don't forget the canola oil for frying.

What are bliss balls made of? ›

Place the honey and nut butter into a bowl and mix to combine. Add the cacao or cocoa mix to combine. Add the coconut and mix until well combined. Use your hands to roll the mixture into balls.

Zeppole are typical of Italian cuisine, especially that of Rome, Naples and Lecce. Zeppole originated in Ancient Rome when people started frying dough and putting sugar or cinnamon on it. However, the zeppole that is around today, was created in the eighteenth century.

The dish originally came to Naples from Greece, and the name struffoli comes from the Greek word stróngylos, meaning “round.” Struffoli can be found throughout southern Italy, with many names and varieties, including cicerata and cicerchiata.

Although Italians often link babà with the city of Naples, this much-loved dessert actually originated in the eighteenth century in Central Europe, namely in the Duchy of Lorraine.

It is sometimes flavored with vanilla, caramel or other flavorings and is often served with fruit or chocolate sauce. Meaning “cooked cream” in Italian, panna cotta is most associated with Northern Italy's Piedmont region but is popular throughout Italy and many other parts of the world.