Making Succulent Treats
With Fried Cookie Recipes

Ricotta Fritters, Sweet Pumpkin, Welsh Bakestones …

Fried cookie recipes may be what it takes to make cherished memories come alive. They do not require much but basic ingredients, proper techniques, and your passion.

Fried cookies used to be the only homemade cookies because people did not have ovens at home until late in the twentieth century.

They are traditionally served during carnival season, just before Lent.

There are many helpful tips on frying cookies in Cookies Unlimited by Nick Malgieri. I am repeating them here for your convenience.

• Use a large pan with cover. When finish frying, move the pan with hot oil off the burner and cover it. This will keep the air from being further saturated with the hot oil fume.

• Before frying, have all equipments ready. Follow your fried cookie recipe to cut and shape all cookies ahead. Working with hot oil can be very dangerous. So eliminate all other distractions.
• Make sure that the oil is hot enough by:
  1. either drop a tiny piece of dough in the oil. If it rises to the surface and begins to brown almost immediately, the oil is hot enough.

  2. or dip a toothpick into the hot oil just before frying. The oil is ready if it froths.

• Frying too many cookies at once will lower the oil temperature, and make cookies absorb more fat.

• Brush off any excess flour on cookies before frying them so that it will not accumulate and burn in the oil.

Here are a few excellent ideas for fried cookie recipes:

• Bugnes Arlesiennes - Fried Cookies from Arles ¹
• Carnival Cookies ²
• Fried Cardamom Cookies ²
• Galani - Venetian Carnival Fritters ¹
• Polish Diamonds ²
• Ricotta-Sweet Potato Beignets
• Sfingi - Cream Puff Fritters
• St. Joseph’s Day Fritters ²
• Struffoli - Honey Balls
• Sweet Pumpkin Fried Cookies ²
• Sweet Ricotta Fritters ²
• Sweet Tortillas ²
• Welsh Bakestones ²
• Zeppole - Italian Fried Bread Dough

These crisp fried cookies are popular at springtime in Italy. They are sold in pastry shops and carnival stands everywhere.

All purpose flour	1½ cups
A pinch of salt
Granulated sugar	1 Tbsp
Eggs	2 large
Butter, softened	1 Tbsp
Brandy	¼ cup
Vegetable oil, for frying	2 cups
Confectioners’ sugar, to dust	1/3 cup

• Combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt.

• Mix in eggs until just blended.

• Add softened butter and brandy to form a stiff dough.

• Set aside to rest for 2 hours.

• Roll dough out on a slightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch in thickness.

• Cut into 3" x 1" strips and tie each strip into a knot.

• Heat vegetable oil in a large deep skillet or deep fryer to 365 degrees F., and perform a toothpick test.

• Fry cookies in small batches until just golden.

• Remove and drain off excess oil on paper towels.

• Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

This fried cookie recipe makes about 25 carnival cookies. You can easily double it to serve a larger crowd.

This fried cookie recipe with its Eastern origin creates deliciously spicy cookies that will surprise your taste buds.

Eggs	3 large yolks
	1 large white
Milk	½ cup
Water	¼ cup
Ground cardamom	½ tsp
All purpose flour	2 and 2/3 cups
A pinch of salt
Corn oil, for frying	2 cups
Confectioners’ sugar	1/3 cup
to dust

• Mix egg yolks, egg white, milk, water, and cardamom until well blended.

• Stir in flour and salt to form a smooth dough.

• Knead cookie dough on a slightly floured surface until smooth.

• Rest dough for 2 hours covered with a clean towel.

• Roll into balls the size of walnuts. Flatten them out to about 1/8-inch in thickness, fold over and press down the edges with a folk.

• Let them rest again for 5 minutes covered with a clean towel.

• Heat corn oil in a large deep skillet or in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F. Perform the toothpick test to be sure that oil is hot enough for frying.

• Fry cookies in batches for 1 minute or until lightly browned all over. Remove and drain off excess oil on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

This fried cookie recipe yields about 10 3-inch cookies.

This fried cookie recipe makes about 25 delicious cookies.

All purpose flour	1¼ cups
A pinch of salt
Eggs	6 large yolks
	1 small egg, beaten
Granulated sugar	1 Tbsp
Dark rum	2 tsps
Vanilla extract	½ tsp
Vegetable oil, for frying	2 cups
Confectioners’ sugar	1/3 cup
to dust

• Combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center.

• Mix in all the eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla extract to form a stiff dough.

• Press dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough out on a slightly floured surface until very thin. Cut dough into 2-inch diamonds with a fluted pastry cutter.

• Cut a slit in the center of each diamond and pull one point of the diamond through the slit.

• Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or deep fryer to 365 degrees F. Perform the toothpick test.

• Fry cookies in small batches for 2 or 3 minutes or until crisp. Remove and drain off excess oil on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

These delicious fritters are traditionally made and served on St. Joseph's feast day, March 19 in Italy. This fried cookie recipe makes about 25 fritters, but can easily be double.

Water	½ cup
Butter, cut up into small pieces	¼ cup
Granulated sugar	2 Tbsps
A pinch of salt
Grated zest of a lemon
All purpose flour	1 cups
Eggs	4 large
Olive oil, for frying	2 cups
Confectioners’ sugar, to dust	1/3 cup

• Bring water, butter, granulated sugar, salt, and lemon zest to a boil in a medium saucepan.

• Mix in all the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon.

• Continue stirring over low heat until dough starts to come away from sides of the saucepan. Set aside to cool.

• When dough is cool, beat in eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Dough should be soft, but not runny. Allow it to rest for at least one hour.

• Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or deep fryer to 365 degrees F., or perform the toothpick test.

• Fry teaspoonfuls of dough in small batches until golden brown. Drain off excess oil on paper towels and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Golden raisins	1 cup
Pie pumpkin or winter squash	2 lbs
All purpose flour	2/3 cup
Granulated sugar	¼ cup
	1/3 cup to dust
A pinch of salt
Baking powder	1 Tbsp
grated zest of one lemon
Vegetable oil, for frying	2 cups

• Soak raisins in hot water for 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.

• Peel pumpkin and remove seeds. Slice into pieces and boil until tender. Then remove excess moisture with paper towels.

• Puree pumpkin, then mix in other dry ingredients.

• Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts.

• Heat vegetable oil in a large deep skillet or a deep fryer to 365 degrees F. Perform the toothpick test.

• Fry cookies in small batches until golden brown all over. Drain off excess oil with paper towels and dust with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar.

This fried cookie recipe yields about 20 cookies.

Raisins	¼ cup
Dark rum	2 Tbsps
Ricotta cheese	1 and 2/3 cups
Granulated sugar	1/3 cup
Eggs	3 large
Grated zest of one orange
All purpose flour	1½ cups
Baking soda	1/8 tsp
A pinch of salt
Vegetable oil, for frying	2 cups
Confectioners’ sugar, to dust	1/3 cup

• Soak raisins in rum overnight. Then drain and pat dry.

• Strain ricotta cheese in a large bowl.

• Stir in eggs, granulated sugar, raisins, and orange zest.

• Mix in flour, baking soda, salt until smooth. Let dough rest for about an hour.

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or a deep fryer to 365 degrees F.

• Fry tablespoonfuls of dough in batches until lightly browned. Remove and drain off excess oil with paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

This fried cookie recipe makes about 20 cookies. Keep them under refrigeration.

This simple fried cookie recipe makes authentic Mexican treats. They are delicious on their own or with vanilla ice cream.

Wheat flour tortillas	4 small
Vegetable oil, for frying	1 cup
Granulated sugar	2/3 cup
Ground cinnamon	4 tsps

• Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 365 degrees F, and perform a toothpick test.

• Cut tortillas into quarters and fry them in batches of 4 until golden all over. Drain off excess oil on paper towels.

• Mix cinnamon with granulated sugar and sprinkle the mixture over fried tortillas.

These treats are best served hot with coffee or tea. You can prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate it until needed. This fried cookie recipe makes about 18 cookies.

All purpose flour	1 and 2/3 cups
Ground allspice	¼ tsp
Baking powder	1 tsp
A pinch of salt
Butter, cut into small pieces	½ cup
Light brown sugar	1/3 cup
Firmly packed
Dried currants	½ cup
Egg, lightly beaten	1 large
Milk	3 Tbsps
Confectioners’ sugar, to dust	2 Tbsps

• Combine flour, baking powder, allspice, and salt.

• Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

• Add brown sugar, currants, egg, and just enough milk to form a smooth dough.

• Press dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch in thickness, and cut out cookies using a 2-inch cutter.

• Preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet and grease lightly with butter.

• Fry cookies until golden brown or about 4 minutes. Turn cookies over and fry the other side for another 3 or 4 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Returning to Easy Cookie Recipes

¹ You can also find these fried cookie recipes in Cookies Unlimited by Nick Malgieri. Harper Collins Publishers

² Ideas for these fried cookie recipes are from Cookies - 1001 Mouthwatering Recipes from Around the World published by Reader's Digest.