Italian🍰 Sweets & drinks

St. Joseph Zeppole (Zeppole San Giuseppe) - Fried

Name: St. Joseph Zeppole (Zeppole San Giuseppe) - Fried
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2½ cups whole milk; 4 egg yolks; 4 tbsp granulated sugar; 4 tbsp all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1/8 tsp salt; ½ lemon zest; 1 cup water; 8 tbsp unsalted butter; 4 tbsp granulated sugar; ½ lemon zest; 1 cup all-purpose flour; a pinch salt; 3 eggs; 2 cups ricotta cheese; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¾ cups mini semisweet chocolate chips; ¼ tsp cinnamon; ~½ cup candied orange peel; ~8-10 candied cherry; ~8-10 amarena cherries; ~2 cups vegetable oil; ~2-3 tbsp powdered sugar

⏱ 60 min🍽 Serves 8

A classic Italian St. Joseph's Day treat: choux pastry piped into rings, then either fried or baked until puffed and hollow, filled with a lemon-scented pastry cream and topped with amarena cherries. This recipe also includes a bonus Sicilian version, sfingi, filled with sweetened ricotta and chocolate chips, topped with candied cherry and orange peel.

Adapted from a video by Laura in the Kitchen

St. Joseph Zeppole - Zeppole San Giuseppe Fried and Baked and Sfingi

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

whole milkfor the custard2½ cups
egg yolksfor the custard4
granulated sugarfor the custard4 tbsp
all-purpose flourfor the custard4 tbsp
cornstarchfor the custard2 tbsp
saltfor the custard1/8 tsp
lemon zestzest of half a lemon, for the custard½

Steps

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1
Make the custard: heat the milk with lemon zest. Whisk egg yolks with sugar, then whisk in the flour and cornstarch. Temper the yolk mixture with the hot milk, return to the pot and cook until thickened, stir in the salt, then chill in the fridge.
2
Make the choux dough: bring water, butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt to a boil. Stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until it forms a dough. Let cool slightly, then beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth and glossy (a splash of limoncello can be added if desired).
3
Pipe the dough into rings using a star tip onto parchment paper, sizing them as you like. This recipe makes two batches of dough — one shaped into zeppole rings, the other spooned into oblong sfingi shapes.
4
For the baked ones, brush with egg wash and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 35–40 minutes until golden and puffed.
5
For the fried ones, drop the dough (still on its parchment paper cutout) into vegetable oil heated to about 325–350°F. Standard-sized pieces fry about 4 minutes per side at 350°F, while larger ones need about 7 minutes per side at 325°F, until golden, puffed, and cooked through with a light, hollow interior.
6
Fry the sfingi the same way — spoon the dough into oblong shapes directly into the oil and fry at 325°F for about 7 minutes per side, since they are larger and denser and need more time to cook through.
7
Let both the fried and baked pieces cool completely. When flipped over, they should show a slight burst opening, indicating the inside is hollow and ready for filling.
8
Make the sfingi filling by mixing the drained ricotta, sugar, chocolate chips, and cinnamon (if using). Pipe the filling into the fried sfingi and top each with a candied cherry and candied orange peel.
9
Top the zeppole rings with the chilled custard, finish each with an amarena cherry, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

St. Joseph Zeppole (Zeppole San Giuseppe) - Fried

Ingredients

Steps

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