Italian Nut Balls Recipes

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE BALLS (TUTTU BALLS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread almonds onto a baking sheet.
• Bake almonds until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool almonds slightly; chop.
• Sift flour 2 times. Mix cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together with flour in a bowl. Beat white sugar, shortening, and eggs together in a separate bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Mix creamed mixture into flour mixture. Add almonds, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract to flour mixture and mix well using your hands or a large spoon until dough holds together and is smooth. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven until bottoms are slightly brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Stir confectioners' sugar and almond extract together in a bowl; add enough water to make a thin frosting. Roll cookies in the frosting and place on a wire rack to dry.

GREAT GRANDMA'S NUT BUTTER BALLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the cake flour, then fold in the pecans. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 15 to 19 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Cool cookies completely before rolling in additional confectioners' sugar. If you are storing the cookies in a tin, add remaining sugar to the tin.

WALNUT BALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Cream the sugar and butter. Add flour, nuts, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Batter will be very crumbly.
• Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Roll in super fine sugar. When cool, roll again, if desired.

STRUFFOLI | ITALIAN HONEY BALLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a double boiler and let it cool. In a large bowl, mix together the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt.
• Add sugar, melted butter, the liquor, eggs and the orange zest. Mix the ingredients with the help of a wooden spoon.
• Continue to knead with your hands, until you get a homogeneous dough, free of lumps. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• After the resting time, cut the dough into equal parts. With your flat hands, roll each piece on the work surface as if to make a cylinder about 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) thick.
• Slice the roll of dough with the help of a small knife into many pieces of 1 cm (1/2 inch) in size. You can leave your Sruffoli in small pieces or give them the shape of balls by rolling them between the palms of your hands.
• Fry Struffoli few at a time turning them a couple of times. In 30-40 seconds they will be ready. Drain them with a skimmer and place on a serving dish, covered with absorbent kitchen paper.
• In a saucepan that can contain all the struffoli, pour almost all the honey and some rainbow sprinkles. Heat over very low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. This step is to make the honey more liquid and more malleable.
• Turn off the heat and add the struffoli. Add one more tablespoon of sprinkles and mix all together. When all the Struffoli are wrapped in honey and sprinkles, immediately transfer them, still hot, to a serving dish.
• Give them the shape you prefer, for example the classic pyramid or the classic donut shape that resembles a Christmas wreath!

ITALIAN NUT BALLS RECIPE - (1/5)

Steps:

• In large bowl combine ingredients on medium speed for 1 minute. Blend well. 2 c. flour - lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. Gradually add flour to mixture. Blend at low speed until well mixed. Take 2 reserved egg whites and slightly beat. Chop 1-1 1/2 c nuts. Roll dough into 1" balls. Dip into egg whites and nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet and make a dent. Bake 350 for 10-12 minutes until firm to touch. Do Not Overbake - should be lightly brown. Remove while warm and fill with small amount of jam or jelly.