When I decided to make the baked castagnole for the Light and Tasty column, which today is dedicating the post to Carnival recipes, I hadn’t noticed that today is… ahahah it makes me laugh… today is my birthday! Uahuahah! 😄

I know, I imagine this may not be so funny for you, but for me it’s a rather particular coincidence that instinctively amused me.

And maybe those who know the recipe for my mother’s classic castagnole have already understood why.

It’s the castagnole karma! 😄

It’s that inevitability of events that means there must always be castagnole for my birthday, a family tradition my mother accustomed me to from always, and that continues despite the venerable (and at times improbable! 😂) age I woke up with this morning.

That’s why the coincidence made me burst out laughing: I hadn’t noticed at all that the Light and Tasty post, my birthday and my absolutely random choice to make castagnole coincided. But it can’t be a coincidence, surely my subconscious wanted to tell me something!

Dun dun dun (suspense tune)… But what?

Ah yes! Now… since the baked castagnole are already inside our bellies… now I know! It’s the right day to say enough with fried birthday castagnole!

Yesssss! The baked castagnole are so good! 😃

〰〰〰

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 38 Pieces
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Carnival

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup potato starch
1/3 cup ricotta
1 egg
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp corn oil
2 tbsp sambuca (or 3)
1 lemon (zest, grated)
Half packet baking powder
sugar (powdered, granulated or coarse brown sugar, for decorating)

Tools

Bowl
Parchment paper
Baking sheet

Steps

Mix the ricotta, the whole egg, the sambuca, the oil and the sugar with a spoon until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the grated zest of one lemon, then pour in the flour, the potato starch and the baking powder.
Stir with a spoon.
When the mixture looks crumbly start kneading with your hands until you get a dough ball.
Divide the dough ball into small portions and roll them between the palms of your hands to make little balls (I got 38 but the number may vary depending on size).
👉 The dough is easy to work with but if you prefer you can firm it up briefly in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Do not chill it too long or it will be harder to shape the balls.
Place the dough balls on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in the oven at 356°F for 10-12 minutes if the balls are small or for 15 minutes if you prefer them a bit bigger.
Serve the baked castagnole covered with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
Or, alternatively, here’s a variation we really liked:
Before baking, roll the castagnole in granulated sugar or in coarse brown sugar, fully coating them.
👉 If the sugar doesn’t stick (it can happen for example if the dough is cold) you can moisten the balls by brushing them with a little milk.
Baking them this way, coated with sugar, the baked castagnole will be crunchier on the surface.
😉 Before saying goodbye a clarification for those who don’t like converting traditional fried treats to the oven version:
We liked these baked castagnole a lot and, I’ll tell you, they surprised me. Of course they’re a bit drier and obviously less greasy than the fried ones, but they are truly castagnole: the anise flavor is there.
So they’re a very valid alternative to traditional fried castagnole, especially in the crunchy sugar version, and above all they’re suitable for those who, like me, don’t like frying (and only eat fried foods when others fry them!).
We finished them all, and some we even dipped in Alchermes. But to be clear: no, they are not exactly the same as the fried ones, you were hoping, weren’t you? 🤪😀😉