How to make homemade Carnival chiacchiere (frappe) that are crisp and full of bubbles without absorbing oil
Carnival CHIACCHIERE are perhaps the most typical and appreciated treats of this festive period: easy to prepare, super crunchy and full of bubbles.
You could say that almost every region of Italy has its own recipe and even its own name for this delicious pastry: some call them CHIACCHIERE, others FRAPPE, others BUGIE, others CROSTOLI and I could go on for hours …
What matters, regardless of the chiacchiere recipe you choose to follow, is obtaining very thin sheets, nicely crunchy and not greasy so they make a crunchy sound at the first bite; if they are also flavored, even better.
Today we will prepare together ORANGE CHIACCHIERE, a more aromatic and fragrant twist on the classic ones because we will add not only the juice but also the grated orange zest (of course use organic oranges) to the dough.
You will see how you get delicate, thin, crumbly FRAPPE that are super tasty and will delight both adults and children — everyone will ask you for the recipe.
And with the same dough, simply changing the citrus, you can make LEMON or MANDARIN CHIACCHIERE! If you prefer the classic chiacchiere dough, simply omit the orange juice.
And for lovers of lighter frying, at the end of the recipe you will also find all the information for preparing the AIR FRYER CHIACCHIERE RECIPE.
If you are looking for other Carnival sweets, also see:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Frying, Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 979.78 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.39 (g) of which sugars 8.68 (g)
- Proteins 7.61 (g)
- Fat 89.87 (g) of which saturated 15.03 (g)of which unsaturated 71.62 (g)
- Fibers 1.04 (g)
- Sodium 150.65 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups Manitoba flour
- 2 eggs (small, about 3.2 oz (90 g) total)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 orange (organic zest and about 1 tsp juice)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/3 tbsp orange liqueur
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 cups neutral oil for frying (for frying (about 500 ml))
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
- chocolate (melted)
Tools
- Bowl
- Rolling pin
- Frying pot
- Serrated pastry wheel
PROCEDURE
Before you start, a tip: if you want chiacchiere with a very thin sheet, it’s better to use a pasta roller (the “Nonna Papera”, to be clear) to roll the dough. If you don’t have one, a classic wooden rolling pin works fine.
Put the flour, eggs, sugar, softened butter, the zest of 1 orange + about 1 tsp of juice, a pinch of salt and the orange liqueur into a bowl and mix with a spoon. Then transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until you get a smooth, homogeneous dough. Wrap it in cling film and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour (don’t skip this step if you want the chiacchiere to become nicely crunchy).
After the dough has rested, take it and start rolling it out with the pasta roller or by hand with the rolling pin into very thin sheets. Then cut them with a serrated wheel or pizza cutter into many strips about 5/8 to 1 inch wide (length doesn’t matter — I like them short: they are easier to fry).
At this point, all that’s left is to fry the ORANGE-AROMATIZED CHIACCHIERE. Heat the oil, then immerse them for a few seconds — you’ll see them immediately rise to the surface and form nice bubbles on the surface. Drain and place on a plate lined with absorbent paper. Once cooled, dust with granulated sugar, powdered sugar or drizzle with melted chocolate. Happy Carnival to everyone!
If you like fried foods and chiacchiere in particular but want to prepare them more lightly, you can opt for the air fryer. Because of the different cooking method, quantities and ingredients change slightly to adapt to the air fryer.
To prepare ORANGE CHIACCHIERE in the air fryer you’ll need: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, about 1/3 cup (100 ml) milk, 1 egg, 1 1/3 tbsp (20 g) neutral oil, 1 tbsp (12.5 g) instant baking powder for air fryer, 1 tbsp sugar, the juice and zest of 1 ORANGE.
PROCEDURE: Put in a bowl: the egg, the sugar, the milk, the oil, the baking powder and the zest and juice of 1 ORANGE. Mix everything with a fork, then add the flour little by little while continuing to mix. As soon as the dough becomes firm, move to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough. Roll out the dough and form the chiacchiere as usual.
HOW TO COOK CHIACCHIERE IN THE AIR FRYER: With these quantities you will need to cook the chiacchiere in two batches. Place parchment paper on the bottom of the air fryer basket, spray lightly with oil and cook at 383°F for 5 minutes. Open the basket, turn them over and spray a little more oil, cook for another 2 minutes at 383°F. Remove them from the basket, place them on a tray to cool slightly and cook the other half of the dough in the same way. Decorate as you like once they are cool.
For an even lighter version you can bake the chiacchiere in the oven. In this case I recommend cutting the strips wider (about 1 1/4 inch) and making a central slit with a wheel or knife to prevent excessive deformation during baking.
Once formed, place the chiacchiere on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated convection oven at 392°F for about 7-8 minutes. Check them often so they don’t burn. They should become dry and golden but not too dark. Once ready, remove from the oven and let them cool completely before arranging on a plate and dusting with powdered sugar.
Storage
Chiacchiere stay crisp for 4-5 days. The secret is to store them in a paper bag (like a bread bag) or in a tin box, keeping them in a dry place. Avoid airtight plastic containers immediately after frying, as they could trap residual moisture.
Recipe Variations
Baked Chiacchiere: For a light version, bake at 356°F for about 8-10 minutes, but remember they will be less bubbly than the fried version.
Cocoa Chiacchiere: Replace 1/4 cup (about 30 g) of flour with 1/4 cup (about 30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate Coating: Once fried, decorate the chiacchiere with drizzles of melted dark chocolate.
Useful Tips
Oil Temperature: If the oil is too cold, the chiacchiere will soak up oil; if it’s too hot, they will burn on the outside and remain raw inside. Use a kitchen thermometer.
Thinness: The thinner the sheet, the lighter the chiacchiere will be. If you don’t have a pasta roller, use a rolling pin but make sure you can almost “see through” the dough.
Oil Cleaning: Remove any flour or sugar residues that fall into the oil between batches to avoid smoke and bad odors.
