Chiacchiere or frappe are a typical dessert of the Carnival period: these are very crunchy small pastries that can be cooked by frying or baking, to obtain a more delicate and lighter result. To prepare them, only a few ingredients are needed, including eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. To make them even more delicious, after cooking they can be sprinkled with powdered sugar or drizzled with melted dark chocolate.
The version of stuffed chiacchiere can be found HERE
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 60 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Marsala wine
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 grated lemon zest
- to taste powdered sugar
Steps for Chiacchiere or Frappe
To prepare the Carnival chiacchiere or frappe, start by mixing the vanillin, sifted flour, and sugar, then place everything in a mound on a pastry board. Break the eggs in the center, which should be at room temperature, add the softened butter, grated lemon zest or lemon flavoring, and Marsala. Begin kneading all the ingredients; if the dough is too hard, add a bit of Marsala.
Mix all the ingredients well until you obtain a homogeneous and sufficiently malleable dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. After the resting time, divide it into portions of about 100 grams. Using a pasta roller, roll out an initial sheet at the thickest setting, then fold the sides towards the center and roll out the sheet again, gradually reducing the thickness of the machine. Continue this way until you reach a thickness of about 1/16 inch.
Once the rolling process is complete, use a fluted pastry wheel to cut rectangles about 6 x 3 inches, making one or two cuts in the center. Let the chiacchiere rest for a few minutes and, in the meantime, heat enough seed oil in a pot until it reaches about 340°F. When the oil is at the correct temperature, immerse a few chiacchiere at a time and cook them on both sides until golden.
With the help of a slotted spoon, remove the chiacchiere from the oil and transfer them to a container lined with absorbent paper. Once cooled, arrange them on a tray and sprinkle with powdered sugar to your liking.
Chiacchiere or Frappe Storage
You can store these delicious Carnival treats for 3/4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
There are some variations of chiacchiere where Marsala is replaced with grappa, rum, or brandy. Alternatively, if you don’t like powdered sugar, you can drizzle the chiacchiere with dark chocolate melted in a bain-marie.
