St. Joseph’s Zeppole is a traditional Italian dessert, typically enjoyed on St. Joseph’s Day. But with this easy recipe, you can enjoy these delicious pastries any time you like!
Ingredients
- 1 c. water
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Baking Instructions
- Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add flour all at once, then beat with a wooden spoon for 1 minute or until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a ball. Cool mixture.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg, until mixture has satin-like sheen.
- Use pastry bag with large star tip and fill with mixture.
- Make doughnut shape with pastry bag on greased cookie sheet.
- Bake in 400° oven for 20 minutes or until puffed and well browned.
- Cool.
- Slice each zeppole in half and fill with the following filling.
Calorie: 250
Total cooking time: 1 hour
Difficulty level: Medium
The Saga of St. Joseph’s Zeppoles: A Culinary Comedy
The Unassuming Beginning
So there I was, staring at my ingredients: 1 c. water, 1/2 c. butter, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 c. all-purpose flour, and 4 large eggs. It looked like the makings of a pretty standard baking session. Little did I know, I was about to embark on a humorous journey while attempting to make St. Joseph’s Zeppoles.
The Boiling Point
First up, the recipe called for combining water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Simple enough, right? But let me tell you, watching butter melt is like watching paint dry, but more delicious. I mean, I could have read War and Peace in the time that took.
The Flour Fiasco
Next, I had to add the flour all at once and then beat it with a wooden spoon until the mixture left the sides of the pan and formed a ball. Sounds easy, right? Except the flour decided to go everywhere but the pan. I swear there was more flour on me and the kitchen counter than there was in the pan. I looked like a ghost and my kitchen resembled a winter wonderland. And the mess… let’s not talk about the mess.
The Egg Extravaganza
Once the mixture had cooled, it was time to add the eggs. One at a time, beating after each egg, until the mixture had a satin-like sheen. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen satin that looked like a lumpy, eggy mess. But hey, the recipe said satin-like sheen, and by golly, I was going to get a satin-like sheen.
The Pastry Bag Battle
Then came the pastry bag. Oh, the pastry bag. You’re supposed to fill it with the mixture and then make a doughnut shape on a greased cookie sheet. But let me tell you, getting that mixture into the pastry bag was like trying to herd cats. I’m pretty sure I lost a good chunk of it on the kitchen floor.
The Oven Ordeal
Baking the zeppoles in a 400° oven for 20 minutes should have been the easy part. But of course, I accidentally set the oven to broil instead of bake. I realized my mistake when I started smelling something that was definitely not the sweet scent of baking zeppoles. Talk about well browned, more like well charred.
The Final Act: Filling the Zeppole
Finally, after they had cooled and I had managed to slice each zeppole in half without causing any major injuries, it was time to fill them. But that’s a comedy of errors for another day. Let’s just say, there was a lot of filling and a lot of cleaning up afterwards.
The End… Or Is It?
So that was my journey into the world of St. Joseph’s Zeppoles. Despite the flour fiasco, the egg extravaganza, the pastry bag battle, and the oven ordeal, I ended up with something that vaguely resembled zeppoles. And you know what? They tasted pretty darn good. But next time, I think I’ll just buy them from the bakery.
