The chocolate chip fritters are a real temptation, perfect for those who love fried desserts! Besides frappe, castagnole, and schiacciata fiorentina, there is a wide variety of Carnival desserts that can please everyone. The most indulgent won’t be able to resist these soft zeppoline with chocolate chips, made with a ricotta-based dough – already experimented in ricotta castagnole – which makes them particularly soft and fragrant for several days. Making these chocolate chip fritters is very easy and pretty quick: in fact, they are spoon fritters that do not require rising times (they use baking powder and not yeast). You simply mix the ingredients with a spoon and then drop small portions of the dough into hot oil. The chocolate chips will slightly melt with the heat, giving the dessert a unique taste. One leads to another, and in no time, the chocolate chip fritters will disappear from the tray… the real challenge will be stopping yourself!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Carnival
- Energy 194.12 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 28.88 (g) of which sugars 13.87 (g)
- Proteins 6.32 (g)
- Fat 6.34 (g) of which saturated 2.48 (g)of which unsaturated 2.24 (g)
- Fibers 0.41 (g)
- Sodium 86.91 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 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 for about 40 fried chocolate chip bombs
If you are celiac, you can make these gluten-free fritters by substituting the all-purpose flour with equal weight of fine rice flour, or a gluten-free dessert mix. Remember that the following ingredients must have the “gluten-free” label on the package: rice flour, baking powder, chocolate chips, powdered sugar.
- 5 2/3 oz ricotta (cow's or sheep's milk)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or fine rice flour for gluten-free)
- 1 tsp baking powder (half a packet)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp rum (or other liqueur of choice)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- as needed peanut oil (for frying)
- as needed powdered sugar (for garnish)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Sieve
- 1 High-Sided Pan high-sided
- 1 Tongs for frying
- Paper Towels
How to Prepare Chocolate Chip Fritters with Ricotta Dough
To prepare the chocolate chip fritters, you won’t need an electric mixer, just a wooden spoon or regular spoon. Start by placing the ricotta, a pinch of salt, and sugar in a bowl (1). Stir vigorously with the spoon until you get a creamy mixture (2). Then add the first egg (3).
Mix carefully and, once the first egg is incorporated, add the second one (4). Continue to mix until it is perfectly blended. Then add the rum (5). If you prefer to avoid rum or other spirits, you can replace them with two tablespoons of milk. However, keep in mind that during frying, the alcohol – present in a minimal amount and distributed throughout the dough – completely evaporates, making the dessert suitable even for children. Sift the flour mixed with baking powder into the bowl (6).
Mix carefully until you get a homogeneous and rather dense mixture that sticks to the spoon (7). Add the chocolate chips and distribute them throughout the dough (8). In a high-sided pan or a fryer heat plenty of peanut oil; if you have a kitchen thermometer, check that the oil temperature reaches 338°F, then using two spoons, drop about half a spoonful of dough at a time (9).
Do not make the fritters too large, or it will be difficult to cook them well on the inside before they become too colored on the surface; also consider that it’s best to fry a few pieces at a time, so as not to lower the oil temperature too much. Cook the fritters for a couple of minutes, turning them occasionally (10), until they are puffy and golden. Drain them with frying tongs (11) or a skimmer and let them dry on a sheet of kitchen paper. Finally, sprinkle them with a bit of powdered sugar (12).
Serve the chocolate chip fritters freshly made, to best appreciate their softness and fragrance.
Storage
These fritters remain soft even the next day; keep them at room temperature, covered with a cake net.
Tips and Variations
I have prepared these gluten-free fritters using both fine rice flour and the Nutrifree dessert mix. The fritters turn out well in both cases, but if you use rice flour, a crispier crust will form on the outside, while the inside remains soft. If you use a dessert mix, the fritters will be soft on the outside as well.
