Croatian · Desserts

Fritule

Small Croatian fried dough balls with raisins, rum and lemon zest, rolled in icing sugar, ready in 25 minutes.

25 min total Serves 12 servings Easy
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Fritule

Photograph credit: Fritule(miske) by No machine-readable author provided. Žiga assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Before You Start

Use two spoons to shape the balls.

Keep the oil at 170°C / 340°F.

Eat them the same day.

Cooking Fritule

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  1. Soak the raisins in the rum for 10 minutes.

  2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, zest and salt. Beat in the eggs, milk and the raisins with the rum to a thick batter.

  3. Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F. Using two spoons, drop in spoonfuls of batter, 6 at a time.

  4. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep gold. Drain on kitchen paper.

  5. Dust with the icing sugar and serve warm.

Why the Method Works

Use two spoons, one to scoop and one to push. That is the quick tip for fritule, the little Croatian doughnuts of the Adriatic coast, because the batter is sticky and will cling to your fingers. They are the sweet of Christmas and carnival, and sold at every winter market.

Soak the raisins in rum for at least 10 minutes. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest in a bowl, then add eggs, milk and the raisins with the rum. The batter should be thick, like a very soft dough, and will hold a shape on a spoon. Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F, hot enough to cook the middle before the outside burns, and test with a pinch of batter, which should sizzle and rise in about 30 seconds.

Drop spoonfuls into the oil, 6 at a time, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep gold all over. Drain on kitchen paper and dust with icing sugar while warm. They are best eaten the same day. A little orange zest or grated apple in the dough is a popular variation.

After You've Cooked It

Best the day they are made.

Good With

  • Coffee
  • Hot chocolate
  • Mulled wine

Nutrition per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.

First published ; last changed .