What a thrill, my first Carnival dessert on the blog: ricotta castagnole made in the air fryer! Yes, I have been wanting to try making them fried but not fried using my beloved air fryer for years, and finally did it: the result is amazing for me!
They came out so soft, lemon-scented and I think they could also be filled. The inside is really tender so you could easily insert a cream using a piping bag, like my Eggless Custard. They are a bit laborious to prepare but not due to cooking, rather because the ricotta castagnole dough tends to be a bit sticky, but once you get the hang of it and with my guidance later on, you’ll make them quickly without making a mess, trust me.
I used the recipe from Giallo Zafferano as a base but made some changes and obviously did not fry them. But I got ricotta castagnole that are just fantastic! They can also be baked in the oven; the info is in the Notes at the end of the recipe. Let’s see the step-by-step recipe but first, here are some other treats suitable for this period:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 27 castagnole
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Carnival, All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour (120g for the dough and about 10g for working the dough, the rest will be left over on the work surface)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 cup cups ricotta
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 packet baking powder (I used the vanilla kind)
- 1 lemon (or an orange, zest needed so preferably organic and untreated)
- 1 tsp tsp powdered sugar
- Total points = 31 WW points
- Points per castagnola = 1 WW point
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Strainer
- Sieve
- Bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Lemon zester
- Spatula
- Air fryer parchment paper
- Silicone mat
- Air fryer
- Cooling rack
Preparation
First, drain the ricotta for at least an hour in a strainer in the fridge so it becomes drier. Then prepare flour and baking powder by sifting them together well.
In a bowl, combine egg and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Take the drained ricotta and add it to the egg and sugar, mixing carefully to obtain a smooth, lump-free mixture.
Add the grated zest of a lemon (or an orange) and mix. Even now, the aroma is sheer indulgence!
Start adding the flour one tablespoon at a time, incorporating it slowly to avoid creating lumps. In the end, the dough will be soft and sticky, so I avoided handling it too much as I would have had to use a lot more flour. Now I’ll explain how I did it…
I measured about 20g of flour and sprinkled a bowl placed on the scale. I measured pieces of dough (taken with the silicone spatula and a teaspoon) of about 16-17g each and placed them in the floured bowl.
I floured my hands and took one piece at a time, rolled it quickly between my palms to form balls, and then placed them one by one on a floured silicone mat. Once all the castagnole were formed, I moved on to cooking and placed a few at a time on a piece of parchment paper that fits the basket in my air fryer.
As you can see, a lot of flour is left unused, which we do not have to calculate in the WW points.
Preheat the air fryer to 338°F (170°C) for 2 minutes, then insert the basket with the castagnole: cook for exactly 8 minutes. Remove the basket and place the castagnole on a cooling rack. I have a Philips Airfryer XXL, which is quite powerful: if your model is different, you may need to cook them at 356°F (180°C) for a couple more minutes. Cook all the castagnole this way, and once cooled, sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar.
If you want to bake them in the oven, read the Notes at the end of the recipe.
And here we have our ricotta castagnole in the air fryer ready to be enjoyed. Believe me: I’m writing the recipe, and I’m tempted by the plate I left in the turned-off oven away from the cats…
So we can enjoy a light dessert even at Carnival and still stick to a diet. Plus, no smell of fried food in the kitchen: now there’s only the scent of sweets and lemon, I won’t even begin to describe it.
The Dutchman tasted one too, and he liked it; I’m also waiting for my son’s opinion and obviously yours in my Eat Without Guilt Club on Facebook.
Happy Carnival!
by Giovanna Buono
Notes
My amazing reader Loredana Berto tried baking them in the oven, here’s what she writes:
“I baked them in a fan oven, on a tray covered with parchment paper, at 356°F (180°C) for 15 minutes. They flatten a bit during cooking and don’t get much color. But the house smells wonderful, and they are so good!”
Here are her baked castagnole:
Thanks a lot to Loredana!
Well, after Carnival there’s Father’s Day, so try this recipe too: Baked Saint Joseph’s Zeppole. They are delicious and very light!
