Enjoy this festive treat of Carnevale with Chiacchiere, an Italian fried fritter dessert that's as fun to make as it is to eat! These light, crispy fritters, kissed with orange zest and dusted in powdered sugar, are the perfect sweet and crunchy treat.
Carnevale, also known as Carnival, is a vibrant festival celebrated in Italy to honor the Catholic faith. This two-week-long celebration, one of the biggest holidays of the year, leads up to Lent and Shrove Tuesday. In my Italian kitchen, Carnevale is a big deal!
It features children in costumes, family gatherings in public squares, and lots of activities like games, plays, and music, with a focus on indulging in favorite foods before the Lenten period of simpler eating, as "Carnevale" means "without meat." One of those classic indulgences is chiacchiere!
Chiacchiere is an Italian word that translates to "chatter" or "small talk." It's a fitting name for these fried pastries enjoyed during festive gatherings where there are a lot of people.
There's tons of other desserts made at Carnevale, like castagnole, struffoli and migliaccio. Be sure to check them out!
What are they?
Chiacchiere is a dessert that is made with fried sweet dough and is prepared with a pasta roller. What sets them apart is the infusion of orange flavor from both zest and juice, topped off with powdered sugar for a truly delicious treat. These festive Italian fritters have a special place during Carnevale because they are a truly decadent indulgence before Lent.
While they are believed to originate in Rome, they also go by other names depending on the region. In Tuscany, they are called Cenci di Carnevale, while in Liguria and Piemonte, they go by Bugie. In Rome and surrounding areas, they are known as Frappe, and in Trentino and Friuli Venezia Giulia, they are called Crostoli.
Different Shapes and Sizes
Chiacchiere can take on various shapes and sizes depending on where they are made!
- Rectangles: Some are crafted as small rectangles with one or two slits in the middle, allowing for creative designs.
- Twists: Another option is forming small rectangles with one central slit, with one end elegantly twisted through the opening.
- Bows: You can create Fiocchetti, which are bows made by pinching the rectangles at the center, resulting in a beautiful bow-shaped treat.
- Ribbons: To create ribbons, gently fold the rectangular dough in an accordion-like pattern.
How to make them
Make the sweet pasta dough:
Create a flour well, add the ingredients, and whisk and combine
Knead until a smooth ball forms. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough and attach a pasta roller to your KitchenAid stand mixer, or prepare to use a pasta machine.
Flatten and feed, and roll at setting 1.
Adjust roller settings and continue feeding the dough. Cut it into rectangles and shape.
Heat the oil and fry in batches
Drain and dust, enjoy!
Helpful tips
- Keep your hands lightly floured when working with the dough to prevent it from sticking to your fingers.
- When rolling out the dough, ensure it is uniformly thin. This ensures all chiacchiere pieces fry evenly.
- Fry chiacchiere in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which can lead to uneven cooking.
- Monitor the oil temperature closely. Too hot, and they may burn; too cool, and they won't puff up properly. Aim for around 350°F (175°C).
- Place fried chiacchiere on a paper towel-lined tray to absorb excess oil and keep them crispy.
- Dust powdered sugar over the chiacchiere while they are still warm. This helps the sugar stick and creates a beautiful coating.
Variations
- Substitute grappa with amaretto, Grand Marnier, or your favorite liqueur for different flavor undertones
- You can omit the alcohol from the recipe if you prefer not to use it. Simply skip the grappa, and the dough will still come together. You may need to use slightly less flour.
How to store
Storing: Keep the chiacchiere in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Freezing: To freeze, place the chiacchiere in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to three months.
Reheating: To enjoy the crispy texture again, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the frozen or room temperature chiacchiere on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes until they are heated through and crispy.
Recipe
Chiacchiere - Italian Carnival Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 eggs large
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon grappa
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 50 mL freshly squeezed orange juice about juice of one medium orange
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 500 grams all purpose flour about 3.5 cups
- 700 mL peanut oil or sunflower oil for frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Make the dough
- Place the flour on a flat surface, and make a well in the middle with a bowl. Add all the ingredients to the well except for the grappa and the frying oil.
- With a fork, start whisking the ingredients in the well and gradually start bringing the flour in while you whisk. Continue until all the flour is brought in and the mixture is composed of large chunks.
- Add the grappa to the mixture.
- On a wood board (if you can - this makes it easier to knead), knead the dough for about 10 minutes until a smooth ball forms.
- Wrap the ball in saran wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll out and form the dough
- Remove the dough from the saran wrap and attach your pasta roller attachment to the power hub of your KitchenAid stand mixer. Or get ready to use your pasta machine.
- Cut a piece of dough from the ball. You will get about 4-5 pieces from the dough. Flatten the piece of dough with your hands.
- Lightly flour your hands. On speed 2 and setting 1 on the pasta roller, feed the piece of flattened dough through the roller. Once it has gone through, fold the dough into 3, rotate and feed through again. Rotating the dough is what makes it rectangular in shape. Repeat this process two more times until you've fed all sides of the dough through at setting 1.
- Now change your roller setting to 2 and feed the dough through the roller once. Keep flouring your hands if dough is sticky.
- Keep feeding the dough through on each roller setting (only once) until you've reaching setting 7. I found this was a good thickness for chiacchiere - the thinner the better! Set your dough sheet aside and repeat these steps for the remaining pieces of dough.
- Note the dough sheets will be quite long so you may have to cut them in half or thirds if you're working on a small counter (like I am!). Grab a fluted pastry wheel and cut the large dough sheets into smaller rectangles. I like to make mine about 1.5-2 inches wide.
- Cut a slit or two into each rectangle. Or make a slit in the middle of each rectangle and twist one end through the slit. Set aside. Repeat until all the dough is finished.
Fry the chiacchiere
- In a shallow pan, warm up the oil over medium heat. The amount of oil you use will vary depending on the size of your pan but there should be a few inches of oil in the pan.
- Working in batches, drop the pieces of dough in the hot oil. They should almost immediately puff up and start to turn golden in color. Fry on one side and using two forks, flip to the other side. Depending on how how your oil is, it should take about 30 seconds per side.
- Remove the chiacchiere from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the pieces of dough are fried.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- When kneading, use a wooden board if you can. The dough will come together faster this way.
- Instead of kneading by hand, you can use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to knead
- Grappa is the traditional liqueur to use, but it can be substituted with marsala, rum or white wine
- If you prefer to not use alcohol in baking, you can omit it. You may just have to use less flour if omitting the alcohol
L.Greco says
Thank you Pina for this marvelous recipe!! My mom comes from the south of Italy and used to make these for the family at around Easter time. They were always delicious with a cup of cafe latte or glass of red wine and 7up (we were kids). This recipe will be cherished! Keep them coming.
Pina says
Thank you! I am so glad you liked them! And I agree - they're perfect with a coffee!
-Pina