Chocolate castagnole are delicious Carnival sweets that are fried and prepared in no time, thanks to baking powder, which speeds up the preparation.
The dough is really simple to prepare, and in no time, you’ll have a dessert ready to serve, perhaps accompanied by a good custard. They are also perfect for your children’s snack.
The Carnival chocolate castagnole have a dough made even more delicious by chopped almonds and chocolate chips. If you are organizing a children’s Carnival party, these treats are ideal to present along with Carnival masks and Arlecchino cookies with smarties.
There are no particular difficulties in the preparation. Just be careful with the oil: I suggest frying in a high and deep pan, adding plenty of seed oil (so the castagnole float), and especially frying at a moderate temperature. This way, the castagnole will cook sweetly and evenly, and you won’t risk having a raw center (which happens when the castagnole are too big or the oil temperature is too high).
Well, let’s move on to the recipe and see how to prepare these delicious chocolate castagnole, but first, let me leave you with some other quick and tasty recipes that might interest you and my article with many tips and tricks for frying well and achieving crispy and dry fried food.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival, Winter
- Energy 623.78 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 76.60 (g) of which sugars 26.03 (g)
- Proteins 12.30 (g)
- Fat 32.77 (g) of which saturated 8.40 (g)of which unsaturated 21.56 (g)
- Fibers 3.42 (g)
- Sodium 82.94 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 166 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 to prepare chocolate castagnole
- 3 1/5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup almonds (chopped)
- 1/2 cup milk (cow's or plant-based)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 sachet vanillin
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed sunflower seed oil (for frying)
- as needed powdered sugar (for dusting)
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixer
- Frying pan
- Absorbent paper
- Tray
- Slotted spoon
Steps to prepare chocolate castagnole
Preparing chocolate castagnole is very easy. Let’s look at the method together. You can knead with the Bimby, a stand mixer, or even by hand, as the dough is really easy.
First of all, melt the butter in a bain-marie or microwave and let it cool. Set it aside.
Chop the almonds in a mixer and set these aside too.
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and vanillin. Then add the chopped almonds.
To the dry ingredients, add the whole egg and the yolk, the cooled melted butter, and finally, the milk.
Knead quickly as if it were shortcrust pastry, and when it is almost completely compacted, also add the chocolate chips and knead again until they are evenly incorporated into the mixture.
Wrap the dough in some plastic wrap and let it rest in the freezer for 10 minutes.
After the resting time, take the dough out of the fridge and form balls the size of hazelnuts. Do not make them larger, as they puff up a lot during cooking, and you risk finding them raw inside. Place them on a lightly floured surface.
At this point, you can start frying. Take a high-sided, thick-bottomed pan and heat plenty of sunflower seed oil (preferably high oleic). The ideal temperature for frying Carnival sweets should not be too high. Ideally, it is between 320°F and 356°F at most. You can easily measure it with an inexpensive kitchen thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can put a wooden toothpick or the wooden handle of a spoon in the oil and wait for bubbles to start forming around it. Another method to check if the oil is ready is to drop a small piece of dough into the oil: as soon as bubbles form and it floats to the surface, you can start frying.
Fry a few chocolate castagnole at a time, turning them frequently with a slotted spoon. Don’t worry if the surface “cracks”; it’s perfectly normal.
When they are ready, drain them on a tray covered with absorbent paper. Once cool, place them on a serving plate and dust them with powdered sugar.
Storage, notes, and variations
– Like all fried foods, chocolate castagnole are best enjoyed warm and freshly fried. You can prepare them at most a few hours in advance, but not more, because they start to lose their crispness.
– For the same reason, it is recommended to consume them within 24 hours and store them in a well-sealed container.
– If you like, you can also omit the chocolate chips. If you want a more “chocolatey” result, you can increase the unsweetened cocoa by 5-10 g.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can chocolate castagnole be baked in the oven or air fryer?
Since the dough is not liquid, these castagnole can be baked in the oven or air fryer. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 340°F for about 15 minutes. In the air fryer, reduce the temperature to 300°F. The cooking times are indicative, adjust according to your oven or air fryer.
Can butter be replaced with oil?
Yes, you can use oil in the same quantity as butter. However, with butter, they are definitely more fragrant.
Can almond flour be used instead of chopped almonds?
Yes, you can also use almond flour or other nut flours.
