Go Back

Chiacchiere (Crunchy Italian Carnaval Treats)

How to make Chiacchiere (Crunchy Italian Carnaval Treats)
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack, sweet
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 -8 people

Ingredients

  • 500 g Flour 3 ½ cups
  • Salt a pinch
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 70 g White sugar ⅓ cup
  • 1 packet Vanilla sugar
  • 20 ml Grappa 1 ½ Tbsp
  • 3 Eggs
  • 50 g Butter 3 ½ Tbsp
  • light frying oil

Instructions

  • Put all the ingredients into a bowl.  Mix them together until they are well amalgamated.
  • Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured bench and knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes elastic. If you have a stand-mixer with a kneading hook you can do this more easily!
  • Wrap in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
  • Cut the dough into four pieces.  Leave those that you are not working with wrapped in plastic wrap so that they don't dry out.
  • Sprinkle the dough with flour and run it through a pasta machine set on the widest setting. Fold the dough in thirds, then run it through the pasta machine on the medium setting.
  • Turn the dial to the second to thinnest setting and run it through one more time.  If you don't have a pasta machine, you can roll out the dough thinly and then move on to step 7.
  • Lay the dough out on a lightly floured bench. Using a pastry cutter, or a sharp knife, cut the dough into shapes and sizes of your choosing.  I cut mine into rectangles about 10cm wide. Don't throw away any of the funny shaped pieces as they are also delicious when cooked!
  • Heat sunflower/vegetable oil in a deep pan.  The optimum temperature for cooking the dough is 160 °C. Place the shapes in a few at a time.  They should float in the oil. Turn them regularly for 2 - 3 minutes until golden-brown.
  • Drain them on a paper towel, and continue cooking the rest.
  • Before serving, sprinkle them liberally with icing sugar.