Pingulati

If you grew up with an Italian grandmother, these will look familiar. Pingulati belong to the same family as struffoli and pignolata: tiny balls of fried dough bound together with warm honey and showered in candy confetti, a sweet centerpiece of Italian holiday tables.

The dough is just flour, eggs, and a pinch of salt, rolled into ropes and cut into little bites before frying until golden and crisp. The key detail comes next. Let the fried balls cool completely before tossing them in the honey. Coat them while hot and they soften and go soggy, but cooled, they stay crunchy under that sticky glaze.

Heat the honey with sugar and cinnamon until loose and pourable, then work quickly, because honey stiffens as it cools. Toss the balls to coat, mound them on wax paper while still sticky so they cling together, and scatter on the confetti before everything sets into a glossy, festive heap.

Chef Tips

• Cut the dough into small, even pieces so they fry through and stay crisp.
• Cool the fried balls completely before tossing in honey, or they turn soggy under the glaze.
• Work fast once the honey is warm, since it stiffens as it cools. Mound the balls while sticky so they hold together.

Variations

• Fold in toasted almonds or pine nuts for crunch, in the traditional style.
• Add citrus zest to the honey for a bright, fragrant glaze.
• Shape the sticky balls into a wreath or pyramid for a holiday centerpiece.