Castagnole are a delicious sweet treat, soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and a delight for the eyes and the palate.
Castagnole, a typical carnival dessert, are small balls of fried dough rolled in sugar. They owe their name to the similarity of their shape to chestnuts (castagne in Italian). They resemble American sweet dough balls or donut holes.
Castagnole are very easy to make with a few simple ingredients. There are numerous ways to prepare them, here is my mom’s recipe, I hope you like them!
Castagnole Recipe
5/8 cup flour (125 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar (40 grams)
1 egg
1 zest lemon
1/4 cup milk (50 ml)
1 teaspoon rum (You can replace the rum with any other liquor or with white wine. If you want to make castagnole alcohol-free, then add more milk)
In a large bowl whisk together flour and baking powder. Then add sugar, egg, zest, milk, and liqueur.
Mix together until combined into a smooth soft dough.
Start heating the oil (in a large fryer or deep pot halfway full), and make sure the temperature remains between 335 – 345F (170-175C).
With the help of a spoon take a piece of dough at a time, and once the oil is at the correct temperature, fry a few spoons of Castagnole at a time, until they are golden brown and nicely puffed.
Drain on paper towels and, when cool enough, sprinkle with sugar powder.
Serve immediately.
Castagnole are one of the most popular carnival sweets in Italy.
If you are there during the carnival, Castagnole will arrive fresh to your table and served with a cup of steaming coffee. Your fingers will tingle with the deep-fried heat when you dunk the crispy but fluffy dough in the coffee, but not too long that it gets soggy.
But you can try it at home, and it’s not so hard. You need to make a coffee-like an experienced barista, and that’s something you can do by learning everything you need to know in this easy guide, The Perfect V60 Pour Over: How to Make It In 8 Simple Steps.
Whatever you decide to eat your Castagnole with, I know that they are so good you can’t stop at just one!