Pistachio Castagnole - Italian Carnival Donuts
Castagnole, or Italian carnival donuts, are a famous traditional dessert, most well-known for being served at Carnevale. Their chestnut-like shape is how they get their name, and their soft yet crunchy texture is a big reason why they're such a crowd-pleaser among Italians (especially during carnival time). This version is filled with delicious pistachio cream.
Servings 20 castagnole
Calories 142kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (225g) all purpose flour
- 2 eggs large
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar plus more for dusting
- zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon rum
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 500-700 mL peanut oil or sunflower oil for frying
- ½ cup pistachio cream
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except for the oil.
- beat with a fork until a ball starts to form, a few minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a wooden board, add a touch more flour if dough is moist.
- Knead with your hands until dough is smooth, a few minutes.
- Wrap in saran wrap and let rest at room temperature for half hour.
- Remove a piece of dough from the ball (about ¼), and roll into a log.
- Cut the log into pieces, and roll each piece into one ball. Each ball should weigh about 20 grams. Repeat this process until all the dough is formed into balls.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Once hot enough to fry (I always test with a wooden spoon- insert the end of the spoon into the oil - if it starts to bubble, it's ready), drop about 4-5 balls in the oil.
- Fry the ball until they are golden in color - about 2 minutes. If they are frying to fast, reduce the heat of the oil.
- Remove using a skimmer and place the castagnole on a plate lined with paper towel.
- Repeat this process for all the balls.
- While the castagnole are frying, place granulated sugar in a small bowl and roll the castagnole in the sugar to coat them.
- Fill a pastry bag attached with a piping tip with the pistachio cream.
- Pierce each castagnola with a straw, without it coming through the other end.
- Insert the piping tip into the open end of the castagnola and squeeze the pistachio cream in. Repeat with all castagnole.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg