Sfingi di San Giuseppe
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
Sfingi di San Giuseppe are traditional Sicilian pastries specifically prepared to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph Day. Very similar to Zeppole di San Giuseppe, the pastries are deep-fried and are topped with a cream, but unlike the zeppole, Sfingi are topped with a ricotta cream before dusting with powdered sugar and topped with mini chocolate chips, pistachios, and then topped with a cherry.
These pastries are pretty simple to make, but they involve a bit of frying, which is probably the messiest part.
The shell is simply a choux dough, which is the same dough used to make cream puffs, however this is fried traditionally instead of baked as they are when making cream puffs.
The filling is very similar to a cannoli cream.
Ingredients
The ingredients for the pastry shell: flour, water, butter, eggs, salt.
The ingredients for the filling (and topping): ricotta, powdered sugar (pistachios, chocolate chips).
Other ingredients can include candied orange peel for topping.
Step by Step
These pastries come together quickly – the messiest part is frying. After making the dough for the shells (same as a cream puff dough), you fry them and then fill them with an easy ricotta cream made with two ingredients.
To create Sfingi di San Giuseppe, begin by preparing the choux dough. Boil water, butter, and salt, then mix in flour to form a dough. After cooling slightly, add eggs one at a time, achieving a smooth mixture.
Pipe this dough onto parchment squares and fry until golden.
For the ricotta cream, blend ricotta with powdered sugar until smooth.
Once the pastries are cooled, top them with this cream, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, add a cherry, and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
The dough and the filling can be made one day in advance, but they would be filled within 4 hours of eating.
♥️ Loved this recipe? I’d be thrilled if you’d rate it ⭐️ and share your experience in the comments below! Your ratings and comments help other readers discover this recipe and keep this blog going. Did you add any special tweaks? Our community of home cooks would love to hear about it! ♥️
📖 Recipe
Sfingi di San Giuseppi
Click the heart icon ♡ above to save a recipe. To find your saved recipes later, click the heart icon on the right side of the screen near the search icon and select My Favorites.
Equipment
- Parchment paper I find this makes it easy to transfer the pastries to the hot oil
- 2 large piping bags
- 2 star tips To pipe the pastries and to pipe the filling (in a pinch, you can use a plastic storage bag with the corner snipped off)
- deep fryer or large deep pot for frying
Ingredients
For the Pastry Shells
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 large eggs
For Frying the Pastries
- 8 cups Vegetable oil
For the Ricotta Filling or Topping
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for topping
- 12 cherries for topping (maraschino or Amareno)
- 1/4 cup pistachios chopped, for topping
Instructions
Prepare
- Cut twelve to sixteen parchment paper squares (about 4 inches by 4 inches [~10 cm]) and set them aside. (You may need up to sixteen squares, Depending on how large you pipe your pastries.)
- Set two large piping bags inside large cups: one fitted with a large open star tip (such as Ateco 824, Ateco 826, or Wilton 1M) for the dough and the other with a large round tip (such as Ateco 808, Ateco 809, or Wilton #12) for the topping/filling. This setup makes it easier to fill the bags later with the pastry dough and the topping/filling.
- Line a large plate with paper towels to store the zeppole after frying in the next step.
To Make the Dough
- To make the dough, combine water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, add the flour and sugar all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cook the flour paste until it forms a ball, leaves a thin film on the pan, and steams heavily for about 1–2 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. I use a hand mixer for this. The dough should be smooth and shiny.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and let the dough cool about 10 minutes before piping.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or deep fryer to 350°F (175°C).
- Pipe small rounds of dough (~3 to 3.5-inch circles) onto the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, leaving some space between each one to allow for expansion during frying. The large open star tip, such as Ateco 828 or 829 (or Wilton 1M), creates defined ridges that help the choux hold its shape and puff evenly.
- Carefully transfer the parchment paper with the piped zeppole into the hot oil, with the parchment paper side up. The zeppole will easily detach from the paper as they fry.
- Fry the the zeppole until golden brown and puffed up, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Turn them halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.
- Transfer them to a wire rack to drain so steam doesn’t soften the shells; if you’d like them extra crisp, place the fried pastries in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5–8 minutes to dry them further.
To Make the Ricotta Cream and Fill
- Mix ricotta cheese and powdered sugar until smooth in a mixing bowl.
- Once the zeppole has cooled slightly, pipe the ricotta filling over the top of each one.
- Sprinkle mini chocolate chips and chopped pistachios over the top of each zeppola, top with a cherry, and dust the zeppole generously with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Add eggs gradually: You may not need the full amount. Stop once the dough becomes smooth, glossy, and thick enough to hold the ridges when piped.
- Dough consistency: The choux should be thick and paste-like. If the dough is too soft, the piped ridges may disappear during frying.
- Dough temperature: If the dough feels very soft after piping, refrigerate the piping bag or piped pastries for 10–15 minutes to help them hold their shape.
- Oil temperature: Fry at about 350°F (175°C) so the exterior sets quickly and the pastries keep their definition.
- Piping tip: Use a large open star tip with deep ridges for the most defined shape.