Castagnole / sweet dough balls is a simple Italian snack that is popular during carnival season.
It is made from basic ingredients such as flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, lemon zest and lemon extract. This video will show you have to make the sweet dough balls in 2 ways: Frying and baking.
The baked sweet dough balls are the more traditional way of enjoying this snack…. however individuals looking for a healthier alternative can decide to make the baked sweet dough balls instead.
Castagnole / Sweet Dough Balls
Castagnole / sweet dough balls is a simple Italian snack that popular during carnival season. It is made from basic ingredients such as flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, lemon zest and lemon extract
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Servings: 10 people
Calories: 322kcal
Ingredients
- 550 g all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp Baking powder
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- Oil (for frying) – Optional
Instructions
- If baking, preheat the oven to 350F
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside
- In a second bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar,lemon extract, and, lemon zest. Whisk until well combined
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients a cup at a time. Mix with the spatula
- When the dough gets too difficult to mix with a spatula, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead
- Adding a little flour at a time, knead the dough until it is no longer sticky
- Roll out the dough. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide the dough into small pieces and roll into small balls – about the size of a chestnut
To Fry the Castagnole / Sweet Dough Balls
- If frying, heat the oil on medium heat (i.e. 360F-375F) before frying.
- Fry the dough balls until golden brown
- Place on a paper towel lined plated to drain any excess oil
To Bake the Castagnole / Sweet Dough Balls
- Bake the dough balls in the preheated oven for 20-25mins or until golden
Serving
- You can dust the castagnole with some powdered sugar or enjoy as is
Video
Notes
- To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small ball of dough in the oil –
- If it sinks, then the oil is not hot enough.
- If it starts to get dark brown almost immediately, then the oil is too hot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 3mg
