These golden honey-colored sweets are traditional at Christmas in Italy. They are treasured sweets for children and great with after-dinner espresso.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 T sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 4 T (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
- Vegetable oil
- Honey syrup(recipe follows)
- 1/2 c diced citron
- 1/4 c toasted pine nuts(optional)
- 1 to 2 T multicolored sprinkles
Directions
1. Sift flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl; make a well in center of flour; add eggs and butter. Stir with fork to mix flour gradually into eggs. When dough is stiff enough to handle, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead with hands, until very smooth, and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Cover Dough ; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Divide dough into 10 pieces; roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches long; cut each into about 36 small pieces.
3. Pour oil in large heavy saucepan to 3-inch depth. Heat to 375 degrees F. on a deep-fat thermometer. Drop just enough dough pieces into hot oil from a broad spatula to just cover the surface. Stir with a slotted spoon to separate. Cook until evenly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift out with slotted spoon; drain.
4. Make Honey syrup. Add the ""bubbles"" to Honey Syrup and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until syrup is absorbed and ""bubbles"" stick together. Add citron and pine nuts. Pile onto serving plate into a cone shape, or if you wish, a ring or dome shape. Sprinkle with multi-colored sprinkles.
Honey Syrup: Combine 3/4 cup honey, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large saucepan; bring to boiling, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking uncovered, without stirring, 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add yellow zest from 1 lemon, cut into julienne strips
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Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: Family Circle/Dec.'1976
Submitted By: Linda Wilson
lwilson@gatecom.com
Honey Bubbles