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–+ servings

Zeppole di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Traditional Italian Pastries)

Course Bread, Cookies & Pastries
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Bake time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 116
Author Christina Conte
Traditional Italian pastries made for St Joseph's Day festivities and celebrations.

Equipment

Ingredients

Ingredients for pastry

  • 4 oz butter unsalted
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 8 oz water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 eggs at room temperature

To decorate

  • 1 recipe crema pasticcera RECIPE BELOW
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar to sprinkle
  • 16 Fabbri cherries optional use an organic maraschino or omit
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oven to 400ºF.Make the Choux Buns

  • First prepare the choux pastry, by placing the butter, sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, until it comes to a rolling boil.
  • Add the flour, all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about a minute until the mixture forms a ball.
  • Remove from heat, keep stirring to cool the dough. When cooled slightly, add an egg and beat well until well incorporated, before adding the next. Repeat with remaining eggs until the batter is smooth and satiny.
  • Place in piping bag or spoon onto a baking tray lined with a silicone sheet or parchment paper into small puffs, about 3" apart.
  • Pipe the upper part of the pastry so there is a small hole in the center, or make one with the back of a teaspoon.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off oven, and leave for 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack.

Crema Pasticcera

  • While the cream puffs are baking, make the pastry cream.
  • (See recipe card below).

Decorate

  • Make a hole with a skewer, into the side of the choux pastry and fill with pastry cream using a piping bag. Pipe more filling into the indentation on top and dust with powdered sugar.
  • Top with a cherry, or whatever you want to use. Repeat with remaining pastries.

Notes

  • If you like a lighter filling, fold in 2 or 3 heaped tablespoonfuls of stiffly beaten whipped cream. Even better, add 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier to the cream before folding in the cream.
  • These are definitely best consumed the same day (see next tip for reviving instructions). Even better, fill them, decorate and serve immediately, if you can, for the best flavor and presentation.
  • If perchance, you have leftover shells the next day, I discovered that popping them in an air fryer for a minute or two will bring them back to (almost) perfection. Just check them to make sure you don't dry them out too much as you just want a non-soggy shell, not crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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