Carnival Castagnole, like chiacchiere, are among the most representative desserts of the happiest festival of the year. Small, round, and golden, they win you over at the first bite thanks to their soft interior and crunchy surface, covered with sugar. A simple dessert that certainly enriches the table of masquerade parties and fills the kitchen with aromas.
Preparing homemade castagnole means rediscovering an ancient recipe, passed down from generation to generation, born from a poor but ingenious kitchen. With few genuine ingredients and quick preparation, the result is truly irresistible, perfect even for those with little experience in the kitchen. This is why castagnole remain one of the most loved Carnival desserts, along with chiacchiere, frappe, and tortelli. I almost forgot… Follow me on my social pages on Instagram by clicking HERE and on Facebook click HERE and also on Pinterest HERE.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 35 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 236.93 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.72 (g) of which sugars 6.99 (g)
- Proteins 0.95 (g)
- Fat 21.24 (g) of which saturated 2.84 (g)of which unsaturated 17.44 (g)
- Fibers 0.15 (g)
- Sodium 28.57 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 17 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 the Castagnole Dough
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsps butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder (for sweets)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- Half packet vanillin
- 1 tbsp limoncello ((10 g))
- 2 1/2 cups sunflower seed oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Preparation
Place the all-purpose flour in the stand mixer or in a bowl.
Add the sugar, baking powder, vanillin, and salt.
Also add the very soft butter cut into pieces and start mixing.
Add the limoncello and the egg and continue kneading. Transfer the dough onto the table and work it with your hands until you get a soft, smooth, and homogeneous dough.
Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After the resting time, take the dough and take a little at a time to form many small balls weighing about 10 g each.
Fry in a small pot with plenty of oil, no more than 4-5 castagnole at a time for about 3 minutes. The oil should be very hot (around 340/350 °F, but not too hot. If it is, they will burn and remain raw in the center. If you don’t have a thermometer, to check the right temperature, you can insert a piece of dough; if bubbles form immediately, the oil is ready.Drain the castagnole and place them on a sheet of absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Decorate them by rolling them in a small bowl with sugar.
Tips, Storage, and Variants
Castagnole are good at the moment, but they can be stored and remain soft in an airtight container for about two days.
If you want a lighter version, you can bake the oven-baked castagnole at 350 °F for 10 minutes. In this case, to have soft castagnole, add 8o g of sugar, instead of 50 g, and also add 2 tablespoons of milk to the dough.
