These Italian cookies go by different names in different regions of Italy, including: crostoli, frappe, bugie, guanti, cioffe, angel wings, cenci and more! Whatever you call them in your region, we can all agree that these deep fried cookies are delicious. Crispy, delicate and flaky… Chiacchiere ribbon cookies will melt in your mouth when prepared properly.
Combine the flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest in a large bowl. Give it a quick mix.
2 ½ cup flour, fine salt, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, orange zest
Use your hands to distribute the room temperature butter into the flour mix.
2 tbsp butter
Beat in the eggs with a fork until the dough is shaggy.
2 eggs
Add liquor or wine to the dough until you can form a ball with the dough. Add a little at a time. Add less or more if needed. The dough should not be sticky.
3 tbsp grappa
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. When you gently press it with a finger, the dough should spring back.
Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
STRETCH THE DOUGH
Cut 1/5 of the dough off the dough ball. We want to work with just 1/5 of the dough at a time (about 100 g). Keep the dough you are not yet stretching covered to prevent it from drying out.
For each piece of dough, flatten the dough into a rough rectangle. Pass the dough through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Fold the dough in half, pass it through again at the widest setting. Fold the dough into an envelope and pass it through again one last time.
Pass the piece of dough through the pasta roller several times, reducing the pasta roller width one setting with each pass.
Stretch the pasta as thin as your pasta roller allows. You should be able to see the shape of your hand through the dough.
If the pasta dough gets too long to manage, cut it in half. Then continue stretching each sheet of dough.
CUT THE CHIACCHIERE COOKIES
Immediately cut and shape the cookies while the pasta is still flexible. Check out our video recipe to see all of the possible cookie shapes!
For ribbon shapes, clean up the edges of the sheet of pasta with a pastry cutter. Then, cut the sheet of pasta in half lengthwise.
Finally, cut the pasta vertically to create cookies 2x long as wide.
Make a slit in the center of each cookie.
Transfer the cookies to parchment paper to await frying. Never stack the cookies.
FINISH MAKING AND CUTTING COOKIES
Finish stretching and cutting all of the cookies as described above.
FRY THE COOKIES
Fill a large wok-like pan with oil for frying.
canola oil
Heat the oil to 338° F (170° C).
Drop the chiacchiere flat into the oil and fry 20 seconds a side or until golden! Spoon hot oil over the cookies as they fry for an even color.
Transfer the fried cookies to paper towels or absorbent paper to await decorating.
DECORATE THE CHIACCHIERE
Decorate the cookies using one of the following:
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cookies or..
4 tbsp powdered sugar
Dip the edges into a melted white chocolate and sprinkle decorate sugar sprinkles over the hot chocolate. Or...
4 oz white chocolate, 1 tsp olive oil, sugar sprinkles
Flick red liquor (Alchermes) over the cookies, then top with powdered sugar. Or...
red liquor
Or, drizzle melted white or dark chocolate over the cookies in a chaotic fashion.
Video
Notes
Optional Toppings
Powdered Sugar
White Chocolate with Sprinkles
Drizzled Chocolate
Alchermes Liquor + Powdered Sugar
Check out the video recipe to see decorating ideas!