This is my favorite traditional zeppole recipe. 🙂
Zeppole are Italian doughnuts topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, pastry cream or a butter-honey mixture…yes, please!
Every region of Italy makes some form of this fried dough called zeppole. They can be sweet or savory, with goodies embedded in the dough or stuffed after frying. Zeppole are especially prepared for St. Joseph’s Day (March 19th), during Lent, for Christmas Eve and on holidays. When sweet, they are usually dusted with powdered sugar and served hot. You can usually find them in every Little Italy around the United States during the holidays filled with cream and topped with Amarena cherries.
Being Italian American, I have been lucky to have eaten my fair share of zeppole so I wanted to share the Italian love with this delicious spring treat. This zeppole recipe hails from Lidia Bastianich’s cookbook “Lidia’s Italy in America”.
3 Pro Tips for Making Zeppole
If this is your first time frying these Italian treats, note that zeppole are extremely forgiving, so don’t freak out. Here are some pro tips to consider before making your first batch:
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- Use a thermometer. Whether you’re frying your zeppole in a skillet or deep fryer, use a thermometer to ensure the oil reaches the proper temperature before frying your dough. Oil that’s too cool will result in soggy doughnuts, while oil that’s too hot will burn the exteriors before the interiors have had a chance to cook. The sweet spot is about 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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- Give the dough ample room in the fryer. When frying balls of dough, avoid cooking more than three zeppole at a time. By adding too many doughnuts to the pan at once it will bring down the temperature of the oil, resulting in a soggy batch and no one wants to bite into a greasy soggy doughnut.
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- Experiment with toppings and fillings. Drizzle the top of the zeppole with chocolate, hazelnut spread or pistachio paste, or add fresh berries. The world is your oyster. 😉
I hope you love them as much as I do. Happy Spring!
Gina
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 cups ricotta
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel
- 1/4 cup finely diced candied lemon peel
- 1/4 cup small chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chopped in small pieces (optional)
Zeppole Dough:
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 6 cups neutral oil, I recommend Grapeseed oil (if frying the zeppole)
Toppings:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Amarena cherries
Instructions
Filling:
Combine the ricotta and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a food processor. Process until creamy. Add a little Grand Marnier and process until incorporated. Scrape the ricotta mixture into a bowl and stir in the candied fruits and chocolate chips. Store covered in the refrigerator until needed, up to 2 days.
In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add the flour all at once, and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball around the spoon. Remove from heat and quickly beat in 1 egg at a time, beating until batter is smooth after each addition. Add the orange and lemon zest and continue beating until mixture is smooth and glossy.
For the fried version: In a heavy, 3-quart pot, heat the vegetable oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350° F. Higher temperature will cause the dough to brown before the center is fully cooked. Carefully drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the batter into the oil, about 6 at a time. (There should be enough room in the pot for the zeppole to float freely.) Fry, turning the zeppole as necessary, until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Adjust the heat under the pot to maintain the temperature of the oil as the zeppole fry. Remove with a skimmer and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter allowing the oil to return to 350° F before continuing.
For the baked version: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased or non-stick baking pan. Bake until evenly and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until medium golden brown and a Zeppole feels very light when picked up from the baking sheet, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
To serve, once cooled cut the zeppole in half with a serrated knife and with a pastry bag, pipe the filling onto the bottom half. Add the top of the zeppole back on top of the pastry cream, and repeat with the remaining zeppole.
Dollop the remaining pastry cream evenly on top of the closed zeppole. Add one Amarena cherry to the top of each dollop.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
Lidia prefers the ricotta filling to classic pastry cream, it tastes more authentic and feels more homemade.