Whether you call them Turdiddri with Honey or Turdilli with Honey these warm from the fryer white wine fried dough balls are the most amazing Calabrese dessert you will ever want to eat!
Traditionally made at Christmas time, warm Turdilli with honey are the perfect ending to a perfect meal accompanied by a fresh brewed cup of espresso.
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This year, I decided to dig deeper in to my roots and spend more time with my mother who is an amazing cook and baker. One of her specialty desserts is Turdilli made with dry white wine, fried and smothered in honey. In later years, she added sprinkles as a fun topping.
This recipe was inspired by another recipe called Pitta Mpigliata which my mother made traditionally around Christmas time. And, if you are more of a dough nut type, you will want to try these Bombolini filled with Crema Pasticciera.
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dessert
There's much not to love about Turdilli with Honey, but here is just a few reasons why you'll want to make them:
- Easy to make and made with a few ingredients available in your pantry
- Flavorful - delicious treat that everyone will love
- Make ahead - store in the freezer, defrost and cover them in honey prior to serving.
- Bridal/Baby Shower - perfect for bringing to baby showers or wedding showers.
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Turdilli
You will need the following ingredients to make Turdilli with Honey: granulated sugar, eggs, flour, white wine, baking powder, honey, vegetable oil, sprinkles (optional)
- White wine gives this dessert a unique taste that seems to meld with the honey
- Honey tops the dough to create a sweet sticky goodness
- Baking powder is used help the dough rise and puff out during the frying process
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Turdilli with Honey from Scratch
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until well combined.
Add 1 cup of the vegetable oil and mix.
Add the white wine and mix.
Remove bowl from the stand mixer.
Cut a section of the dough at a time and roll it out into a long piece about 1 inch in diameter. Cut the piece again into pieces that are 2 inches long.
Using a gnocchi board, roll the dough to make lines on the turdilli and carefully place each piece on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place the turdilli in the pot. they will sink at first. Lower the temperature slightly as you want them to cook slowly and for a long time. Otherwise the dough will remain raw.
Once golden brown, remove them and place them on a plate or bowl lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
In a medium size frypan, heat up the honey on low heat until warm and place as many turdilli in the frypan as possible turning them so that they honey fills all their nooks and crannies.
Remove from heat and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining turdilli. Once you have glazed all your turdilli you can decorate with sprinkles (optional).
Eat while warm!
Storage: Do not cover the turdilli while they are still warm, otherwise the honey will drip off. Let them sit uncovered. You can cover them later with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
You can also freeze them but don't glaze them with honey. Glaze them after they have been defrosted.
Meal Prep Tips
Let the oil heat up to 375° to 380°F. Use a candy thermometer or you can test the fryer by placing some dough in the fryer to see if the oil bubbles around the dough.
Variations
Here are some more ways to glaze your turdilli:
- Nutella - pipe warm Nutella or your favorite hazelnut spread on top of the turdilli.
- Powdered sugar - for a lighter version, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
- Powdered Sugar Glaze - roll the turdilli in a powdered sugar glaze instead of warm honey.
If you can think of any other way to make this recipe unique, go for it!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, you can baked turdilli, however they will not be as soft as if you fried on the stove top. Baked turdilli will be tough and hard. Baking isn't suitable for a traditional turdilli recipe.
Yes, place them in an air-tight container and freeze turdilli before you cover them in honey and sprinkles. When you are ready to serve them, defrost over night. Heat up a pan full of honey and heat them in the honey, place them in a plate and cover in sprinkles.
Both are Calabrian recipes from the south. Scaliddi use 3 times as many eggs and don't use wine. The dough for Scaliddi is sometimes passed through a pasta machine to make intricate ladder like designs. More recently the Scaliddi dough is just rolled and braided and fried, then covered in honey and sprinkles. Scaliddi don't use white wine as an ingredient like Turdilli.
Perfect Dinners
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Recipe Details
Calabrian Turdilli with Honey
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- vegetable oil for frying (2 to 3 cups)
- 1 cup honey
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until well combined.
- Add 1 cup of the vegetable oil and mix.
- Add the white wine and mix.
- Remove bowl from the stand mixer. Add the baking powder and slowly start to add the flour a little at a time until you have added about 4 cups. Use a wooden spoon to mix the egg mixture and the flour.
- Once the dough has come together and is ready to kneed, roll it out onto a floured surface and begin to kneed. Add flour as needed.
- Roll the dough until smooth.
- Cut a section of the dough at a time and roll it out into a long piece about 1 inch in diameter. Cut the piece again into pieces that are 2 inches long. Using a gnocchi board, roll the dough to make lines on the turdilli and carefully place each piece on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you don't have a gnocchi board, you can use the underside of a wicker or bamboo basket that has ridges)
- Section off the next piece of dough and repeat to roll and cut pieces, make ridges and placing the turdilli on the baking sheet.
- Warm up vegetable oil in a fryer, make sure the pot is large enough to fry 8 to 10 turdilli at a time and that the oil comes up 2 to 3 inches up the pot/fryer.
- The oil should reach a temperature of 375℉ to 380℉. Text the oil with a small piece of dough or use a candy thermometer.
- Place the turdilli in the pot. they will sink at first. Lower the temperature slightly as you want them to cook slowly and for a long time. Otherwise the dough will remain raw.
- As they cook the turdilli will rise to the surface. Turn them so that they get color on both sides. Once golden brown, remove them and place them on a plate or bowl lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat until you have fried all the turdilli.
- In a medium size frypan, heat up the honey on low heat until warm and place as many turdilli in the frypan as possible turning them so that they honey fills all their nooks and crannies.
- Remove from heat and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining turdilli. Once you have glazed all your turdilli you can decorate with sprinkles (optional).
- Eat while warm!
Notes
Meal Prep Tips
Let the oil heat up to 375° to 380°F. Use a candy thermometer or you can test the fryer by placing some dough in the fryer to see if the oil bubbles around the dough. If you plan on freezing your turdilli, do not glaze with honey. Instead, defrost them, then glaze and decorate with sprinkles prior to serving. Serve warm for best experience.Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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