Struffoli or Italian honey balls are an amazing holiday treat. I remember first having them one year when someone brought them to a family Christmas party and no one knew what they were (we’re not Italian) so no one ate them. I however started eating them the next day watching Saturday morning cartoons and before I knew it, poof! – they were gone.
My wife’s family (who are Italian) make them every year but we’ve not attempted to make them vegan in a long time as they need egg yolks and the substitutes never seemed to produce good results. Just Egg (the vegan liquid egg substitute) changed all that though. Used in combination with aquafaba (the magical liquid from canned chickpeas), it made them light as air and as good (if not better) than the original version!
The other main element to these cookies is traditionally honey. Most (if not all) vegans generally agree that honey is not vegan. Using agave and sugar was surprisingly close to what I remembered the honey glaze tasting like. You can even add a little orange extract if you like as that is a traditional Neopolitan flavor.
Another traditional element to these are nonpareil sprinkles and glacèed or candied fruits and nuts. A lot of sprinkles are not vegan as they contain confectioners glaze which is derived from insects. I found vegan white nonpareil sprinkles at Whole Foods Market and I use sliced almonds. Truth be told, I hate candied fruits so I leave them out. Plus, they ruin the aesthetic of my white Christmas version, but feel free to add them if you like them!
The hardest part about making these is rolling each piece of dough then frying them. Having a thermometer used for candy making and frying is great to have so you know it’s at the perfect temperature but testing the oil by dropping one piece of dough in and having it float to the top is another indicator that the oil is hot enough. Maintaining the temperature is important as well, so don’t crowd the pot when frying and do it in batches to leave room for them to cook evenly.
If you’re like me, you’ll eat most of these in one sitting so make a lot! They’re pretty addicting and a beautiful centerpiece to a holiday dessert table.
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Vegan Struffoli (Italian “Honey” Balls)
12
servingsThese are traditional Italian “honey” ball cookies made vegan!
Ingredients
- Struffoli Dough
1/4 cup Just Egg vegan liquid egg
1/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
1/4 cup corn or canola oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons bourbon or amaretto liquor
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying
- Vegan “Honey” Glaze
1 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
3 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
- Decorations
1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
nonpareil sprinkles
glazed fruits like cherries
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, combine the Just egg, aquafaba and sugar, then beat in oil, vinegar, bourbon or amaretto and vanilla. Beat for a few minutes until well mixed. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix for a few minutes to make a soft dough. The dough will be sticky, but if it is too sticky to handle, add just enough flour 1 tablespoon at a time to make it workable but not stiff. Knead dough a few times on a lightly floured board. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a large ball. Wrap one ball and place in fridge while you work with the other.
- Take handfuls of dough and roll it into snake-like logs, about 1/4” in diameter. Cut to make uniform chickpea size pieces (you can roll these into little balls to make more spherical if you wish, but not necessary). Set balls aside (on a wax paper or parchment paper lined sheet pan). Keep rolling until all the Struffoli dough balls are ready for frying.
- Heat several inches of oil in a large/deep pan fitted with a deep fryer basket. (If you don’t have a frying basket, use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to lower the dough in and out of the hot oil.) Test for deep frying by lowering a piece of dough into the hot oil, if it bobs to the surface and fries to a golden brown within a minute or so, the oil is hot enough. This about 350°. Cook balls of dough in small batches – don’t crowd the fryer – the balls need space to cook. Roll them in the oil to brown evenly while frying. When golden brown, remove and drain well on paper towels.
- To make the “Honey” sauce, add the agave syrup, sugar and water to a large pan (pan should be big enough to fit the dough balls and still have room to stir them). Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 4 minutes or until the mixture reduces and lightly caramelizes. Remove from heat. Add dough balls to pan and mix well to coat with the syrup.
- Let cool slightly. Pour balls onto a platter. Use a large spoon to mound the “honey” balls into a pile. Decorate with sprinkles and almonds. Serve immediately but these will keep at room temperature for hours.
- You can store fried balls in the refrigerator or freezer to assemble later right before serving. Just let them come to room temperature before coating in the warm glaze.
Notes
- If you don’t want to or can’t find Just Egg, you can try using all aquafaba but I cannot guarantee they will be as light.
- Remember to capture any used oil in a container to dispose of properly. Pouring it down your pipes causes problems with sewer systems and septic as well. Better yet, if you have a place that uses used oil as fuel, bring it there.
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