Struffoli with Sprinkles

Dough:

4 cups flour, sifted
4 oz butter, softened
3 whole eggs + 1 yolk, beaten
¼ cup sugar
1 oz liqueur (anise, rum, brandy, or Limoncello)
grated zest 1 orange and ½ lemon
Pinch salt
Pinch baking soda
1 oz milk
Syrup:
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 cup decorations/sprinkles

For the dough:

In a bowl add and mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Make a little well in the center of the bowl. Add remaining ingredients in the center. Incorporate and mix batter until it is homogenized. Knead about 5 minute until the dough is smooth (if the dough is too tough, add a little milk, if it is too soft add a little more flour). Cover with towel or a bowl and allow to rest at least 30 minutes at room temp.

Mounded Struffoli

Once rested, divide into smaller pieces, and roll each piece into thin long logs (thin snakes). Cut each thin log into tiny ¼ inch pieces about the size of chick peas. Set on a clean towel.

Prepare a medium size pan half filled with either vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil. When hot, add a batch of struffoli at a time and cook. Stir often and remove when the struffoli are golden (not brown). Lay on paper towel to drain the excess oil. Continue the process until all the struffoli have been cooked.

To make syrup:

Heat the honey in a medium size pan for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the ready struffoli. Mix gently and uniformly. Transfer the struffoli to a dish and shape like a small mountain or a wreath. Decorate with sprinkles. Allow to rest about an hour before serving.

Struffoli Christmas Wreath

Alba on WUSA9 cooking segment December 18, 2012

Struffoli is a traditional Napolitan Christmas somewhat sweet dough that is fried first and then dipped with warm honey. It can decorated with sprinkles, candied fruit and even silver and white almonds.

In Naples Struffoli were prepared by nuns in convents and given to noble families to thank them for their act of charity.

Enjoy making these delicious sweet morsels of sweet dough for your family like our grandmothers used to and make your own Christmas tradition.

Italian Ricotta Cheese Cookies

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

The Washington Post, December 12, 2012

Holiday Cookies 2012

Course: Dessert
Features: Make-Ahead Recipes, Holiday (Christmas)

Summary:

These Italian cookies are tender and caky, thanks to the ricotta, but not at all cheesy. They're so moist that other kinds of cookies stored with them will quickly turn limp –- something to keep in mind if you are giving them as part of an assortment.
The recipe makes a lot of cookies; it can easily be halved.
Because we think the holidays demand color, we tinted the glaze a bright, non-traditional blue. You can make it any color -- or leave it plain, which is traditional. Don't store the frosted cookies in an airtight container; the moistness of the cookies will cause the glaze to run.
MAKE AHEAD: The batter can be made a day in advance, covered with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, and refrigerated. The cookies can be stored in a non-airtight container for 2 weeks.

Makes about eighty 1 1/2-inch cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies

Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Freshly grated zest of 2 medium lemons (4 to 6 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or more to taste

For the glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
Food coloring (optional)
Colored sugar sprinkles, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

For the cookies: Place racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the salt, baking soda and flour in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cheese, eggs, lemon zest and rosemary; beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix well. The dough should be slightly moist.
Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until firm, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. The cookies should be golden on the bottom but remain white on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Repeat to use all of the batter.
For the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and stir in enough lemon juice to make a thick paste. Add the food coloring of your choice, if using, and stir to blend. Thin with enough additional lemon juice to create a glaze that can be brushed onto the cookies. Lightly coat or drizzle the top of each cookie with the glaze and add sprinkles or other decorations, if desired. Allow the frosting to dry completely before storing, loosely covered, for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from a recipe by Alba Johnson, a cooking instructor, cookbook author and personal chef in Shady Side.

Tested by Jane Touzalin for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/12/12/ricotta-cheese-cookies/

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Struffoli for Christmas