• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Inside The Rustic Kitchen
  • Recipe Index
  • FREE Italian Food Club
  • Tips & Tricks
  • About Us & Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • My Recipe Box
  • About us
  • Subscribe!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Italian Desserts

    Struffoli - Italian Honey Balls

    Published: Dec 5, 2020, Last updated: Oct 13, 2021 by Emily This post may contain affiliate links.

    1852 shares
    • Facebook
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    Recipe Print

    Struffoli or Italian Honey Balls are tiny balls of fried dough tossed in a delicious sticky honey sauce and decorated with festive sprinkles. It's such a fun and impressive Italian Christmas dessert that the whole family can get involved making!

    A side shot of Italian struffoli (honey balls) on a cake stand topped with sprinkles

    Struffoli are wonderful deep fried golden honey balls originating in Naples, in fact, my whole five years living in Tuscany I never saw these at Christmas time once although there were plenty of Ricciarelli and Panforte around. It's amazing how regional Italian food is.

    And because I love everything about Italian cuisine and Christmas I had to learn how to make these, they are just so pretty and festive!

    You might also see these honey balls called Cicerchiata (Abruzzo), Scalilli (Calabria), or Pignolata (Sicily) but whatever you call them they are sweet, sticky and delicious.

    And although they might look like mini fried doughnuts they don't have that kind of texture, they're crispy on the outside with a slightly softer middle and the honey makes them sweet, sticky and utterly delicious.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients - what you need
    • Step by step photos and recipe instructions
    • Top tips and recipe FAQs
    • More Italian Christmas recipes you might like
    • 📖 Full Recipe

    Ingredients - what you need

    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.

    See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

    An overhead shot of all the ingredietns you need to make Struffoli

    Step by step photos and recipe instructions

    Put all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & orange zest)  in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and add the melted butter, eggs, and rum (photos 1 & 2).

    Mix the ingredients together until it starts to come together then knead into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30 minutes (photos 3 & 4).

    Step by step photos showing how to make struffoli dough

    Once rested, cut the dough in half then cut each half into 3 equal pieces. One at a time roll each piece of dough into a long sausage shape about 1cm thick. Cut each log into small pieces roughly 1cm in size (just like making gnocchi but much smaller) (photos 5 - 8).

    Step by step photos showing how to roll struffoli into balls

    Roll each cut piece of dough into balls using the palms of your hands and place on a board or surface lightly dusted with flour so they don’t stick. Make sure they are in a single layer and not on top of each other (photo 9).

    Using a thermometer, heat the oil in a large pot to 375°F (190°C). Fry the struffoli in batches until golden brown (30-40 seconds). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper (photos 10 & 11).

    Step by step photos showing how to fry struffoli

    Once the struffoli have cooled, add the honey to a large pot (big enough to hold all of them) and heat it gently just until it becomes very liquidy, it will only take a few seconds (photo 12).

    Add the cooled struffoli and gently stir until they are thoroughly coated in the honey, let them soak up the honey for 2-3 minutes (photos 13 & 14).

    Arrange the honey balls in your desired shape (ring or mound) on a serving plate (see notes for tips) and once the honey has cooled sprinkle over your festive sprinkles (photos 15 & 16).

    Step by step photos showing how to toss struffoli in honey and assemble them in a ring shape

    Top tips and recipe FAQs

    • Flour - although Italian 00 flour is typically used to make these regular all-purpose flour will also work!
    • Rolling out the dough - Don't flour your surface to roll the dough into logs unless you really need to as it can make it much harder to roll out. There's enough butter in the dough so it shouldn't stick.
    • Shaping the dough - you can pinch small pieces of dough and roll them into balls rather than rolling out logs and cutting them but I find that it's harder to keep them at an even size. Rolling and cutting the dough is very easy, just like making gnocchi but much smaller.
    • Frying - make sure you use a candy thermometer to heat your oil to the correct temperature. It makes things much easier, if your oil is too hot they will brown too easily and be raw in the middle.
    • After frying - make sure to drain the struffoli straight after frying on kitchen paper so any excess oil is absorbed.
    • Decorating - You can decorate the struffoli with any kind of sprinkles you like, some variations also decorate them with glacé cherries and almonds.
    • Honey coating - make sure to warm the honey very gently (it doesn't have to be hot) just so it turns very liquidy, this makes it much easier to coat the dough balls. If you want to add in a splash of liqueur make sure you don't add in too much (1-2 tablespoon max) or it'll thin the honey down too much and they won't stick as easily.
    Can I prepare these in advance?

    Fried and drained struffoli will last up to 4-5 days in a sealed container or can be frozen. They can be tossed in warm honey when you are ready to serve them (if freezing make sure to thaw them completely first).

    How long do they last? Can I freeze them?

    Fried struffoli without honey can be stored in containers for 4-5 days or can be frozen. If they are tossed in honey and sprinkles they will keep well for up to 3 days but may start to soften.

    A close up of struffoli Italian honey balls

    More Italian Christmas recipes you might like

    • Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli)
    • Chocolate Salami (Salame di Cioccolato)
    • Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake (Italian Christmas Cake)
    • Amaretto Mulled Wine (Vin Brulé)
    • Panettone Bread Pudding

    If you’ve tried this Struffoli Recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

    📖 Full Recipe

    Step By Step Photos AboveMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
    Save RecipeSaved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Struffoli honey balls in a ring shape on a cake stand covered in sprinkles
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Struffoli (Italian Honey Balls)

    Struffoli or Italian Honey Balls are tiny balls of fried dough tossed in a delicious sticky honey sauce and decorated with festive sprinkles. It's such a fun and impressive Italian Christmas dessert that the whole family can get involved making!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Resting time 30 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 364kcal
    Author Emily Kemp

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 3 cups Tipo 00 or all-purpose flour (420g) spooned and leveled*
    • â…“ cup sugar (65g)
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 large eggs lightly beaten
    • 1 zest of one orange
    • 2 tablespoon dark rum
    • 4 tablespoon melted butter (55g)
    • 1 pinch of salt
    • Vegetable oil for frying

    For coating

    • 1 cup honey (300g)
    • Sprinkles

    Instructions

    • Put all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & orange zest) in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and add the melted butter, eggs and rum.
    • Mix the ingredients together until it starts to come together then knead into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
    • Once rested, cut the dough in half then cut each half into 3 equal pieces. One at a time roll each piece of dough into a long sausage shape about 1cm (½ inch) thick. Cut each log into small pieces roughly 1cm (½ inch) in size (just like making gnocchi but much smaller).
    • Roll each cut piece of dough into balls using the palms of your hands and place on a board or surface lightly dusted with flour so they don’t stick. Make sure they are in a single layer and not on top of each other.
    • Using a thermometer, heat the oil in a large pot to 375°F (190°C) at least 2-3 inches deep. Fry the struffoli in batches until golden brown (30-40 seconds). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
    • Once the struffoli have cooled, add the honey to a large pot (big enough to hold all of the struffoli) and heat it gently just until it becomes very liquidy, it will only take a few seconds.
    • Add the cooled struffoli and gently stir until they are thoroughly coated in the honey, let them soak up the honey for 2-3 minutes.
    • Arrange the struffoli in your desired shape (ring or mound) on a serving plate (see notes for tips) and once the honey has cooled sprinkle over your festive sprinkles.

    Notes

    • Flour - although Italian 00 flour is typically used to make these regular all-purpose flour will also work! Make sure to spoon it into cups and level it with a knife if not weighing it with a kitchen scale.
    • Rolling out the dough - Don't flour your surface to roll the dough into logs unless you really need to as it can make it much harder to roll out. There's enough butter in the dough so it shouldn't stick.
    • Shaping the dough - you can pinch small pieces of dough and roll them into balls rather than rolling out logs and cutting them but I find that it's harder to keep them at an even size. Rolling and cutting the dough is very easy, just like making gnocchi but much smaller.
    • Frying - make sure you use a candy thermometer to heat your oil to the correct temperature. It makes things much easier, if your oil is too hot they will brown too easily and be raw in the middle.
    • After frying - make sure to drain the struffoli straight after frying on kitchen paper so any excess oil is absorbed.
    • Decorating - You can decorate the struffoli with any kind of sprinkles you like, some variations also decorate them with glacé cherries and almonds.
    • Honey coating - make sure to warm the honey very gently (it doesn't have to be hot) just so it turns very liquidy, this makes it much easier to coat the dough balls. If you want to add in a splash of liqueur make sure you don't add in too much (1-2 tablespoon max) or it'll thin the honey down too much and they won't stick as easily.
    • Storage - the fried dough balls will keep well in airtight containers for 4-5 days or can be frozen then you can toss them in honey when you are ready to serve them.
    • Leftovers - prepared struffoli with honey will keep well for around 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 226IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
    Helpful Info for All Recipes
    • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
    • When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
    • All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
    • All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
    • Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
    • Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
    • You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @insidetherustickitchen or tag #insidetherustickitchen! We'd love you see what you're getting up to in the kitchen!

    More Italian Desserts

    • An overhead shot of Nutella cookies on a wooden surface with a ramekin of Nutella at the side and chopped hazelnuts.
      Italian Nutella Cookies (Nutellotti)
    • Five Cuccidati cookies on a plate with fake white snow scattered around.
      Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
    • An overhead shot of amaretti cookies on a wooden surface some in pink and green wrappers.
      Soft Amaretti Cookies (Amaretti Morbidi)
    • Chocolate tiramisu in an oval dish sitting on a rustic wooden background with pieces of chocolate at the side
      Irresistible Chocolate Tiramisu

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Ciao, we're Emily and Nathan. Our years living in Italy taught us how to cook authentic and delicious Italian food. We're here to help you put a beautiful meal on the table with tried and tested recipes you can trust. more about us!

    As seen in

    A collage of high profile online publication logos

    Popular Recipes

    • an overhead shot of a tiramisu in a dish with a slice out
      Tiramisu - Authentic Recipe!
    • Mushroom Ravioli With Parmesan Cream Sauce
    • Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)
    • Close up of an Italian beef ragu in a bowl
      Italian Beef Ragu - A Classic Recipe
    • An overhead shot of lobster ravioli in a bowl
      Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Cream Sauce
    • Italian tomato sauce in a saucepan with two slices of ciabatta bread
      Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce - Quick, Easy & Delicious

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us & Contact
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    My Recipe Box

    • Sign up for email updates and save all your favourite recipes!

    Recipes

    • Pasta
    • Mains
    • Desserts

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Copyright © 2022 Inside the Rustic Kitchen

    1852 shares