Zeppole di San Giuseppe are traditional Italian cream filled pastries which are made for the Feast of St Joseph. Use this step by step Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe for perfect results every time.
Originally published on March 18, 2016.
You know that Italians have particular dishes and recipes for every special day, event, holiday, celebration, etc., right?
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Well, St. Joseph’s Day is no exception. March 19th is dedicated to St. Joseph and you may recall that last year, I posted these delicious rice fritters for the occasion.
This year, I’d like to introduce you to an Italian pastry with cream filling that’s made especially for St. Joseph’s Feast Day. They are named after him: Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Giuseppe is Italian for Joseph. Although there will be a Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe that varies from Italian to Italian, they are mostly all the same.
There are Christmas Eve zeppole, too! They are also called frittelle (Italian doughnuts).
However, I will remind you that all of my recipes are honest to goodness, tried and tested in my kitchen. I just found a photo of my zeppole with another recipe–its so wrong! You will not get these results with a different recipe. Why are they using (stealing) my photo? Obviously, theirs is either not a tested recipe or they didn’t turn out well, right? Sadly, this happens a lot.
What are Zeppole di San Giuseppe?
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are made from a very slightly sweetened choux pastry. They are filled and topped with pastry cream (crema pasticcera), dusted with powdered sugar and crowned with a syrupy Italian cherry. Nothing super fancy, and overall, zeppole are quite simple to make.
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How do I Make Zeppole di San Giuseppe?
First, make the pastry dough, pipe it out on a cookie sheet and bake. While they’re baking, you’ll make the pastry cream filling and fill the baked zeppole when they’re cool. Dust with powdered sugar and top with an Italian cherry! Follow my step by step directions for the pastry, filling and assembly below for perfect results every time. Let’s get right to the zeppole recipe.
Zeppole di San Giuseppe Recipe
(St. Joseph’s Day Traditional Italian Pastries)
Adapted from my cream puff recipe. Makes 16 zeppole.
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW.
Heat oven to 400ºF (200ºC)
Begin preparing the choux pastry by placing the butter, sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a rolling boil. Next, 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 a little, then add an egg and beat well until well incorporated, before adding the next. Repeat with remaining eggs until the batter is smooth and satiny.
Next, place the mixture in a piping bag with a 2D or other tip, or spoon onto a baking tray lined with a silicone sheet or parchment paper. Pipe or shape into small puffs, about 3″ apart. If piping, shape 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 remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
While the cream puffs are baking, make the filling.
How to Make Crema Pasticcera
Place the egg yolks, sugar, potato starch, salt and vanilla into a pot and whisk together. Begin pouring in the warm milk, then turn the burner on a low heat.
Continue whisking and pouring, and gradually increase the heat. Cook until the mixture thickens and is cooked (it will be a few minutes). Cool the pastry cream stirring occasionally.
How to Assemble Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Make a hole with a skewer into the side of the choux pastry bun and fill with pastry cream using a piping bag.
Now, pipe more filling onto the indentation on top and dust with powdered sugar. See, I told you my Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe was easy with my step by step instructions!
Finally, top with a cherry, or whatever you’d like to use.
Repeat with the rest of the pastries. Enjoy!
Please let me know what you think of my Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe if you make them. I love to hear from you!
Zeppole di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Traditional Italian Pastries)
Traditional Italian pastries made for St Joseph's Day festivities and celebrations.
Ingredients
Ingredients for pastry
- (4 oz) 1/2 cup butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar
- (8 oz) 1 cup water
- (5 oz) 1 cup flour
- 4 eggs at room temperature
Filling
- 2 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (200 ml) milk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp (5 oz) sugar
- 2 ¼ tbsp corn starch or potato starch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- powdered sugar to sprinkle
- Fabbri cherries (optional) use an organic maraschino or omit
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF.
- 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, add an egg, and beat well, until well incorporated, before adding the next egg. 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.
- While the cream puffs are baking, make the filling. Place the egg yolks, sugar, corn or potato starch, salt and vanilla into a pot and whisk together. Begin pouring in the warm milk, then turn the burner on a low heat. Continue whisking and pouring, and gradually increase the heat. Cook until the mixture thickens and is cooked (it will be a few minutes.)
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 151Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Columba di Pasqua is a traditional Italian sweet dove bread. Plan ahead and buy the proper paper mold for this one or you’ll have to improvise like me.
And how about putting Welsh Cakes for St. David’s Day on the calendar for next year? (March 1st)
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You say 1/2 cup of butter (4 oz.). But 4 oz. = 1/4 cup. Which is it?
Honestly, the number of comments I get like this is frustrating. I am posting these recipes for free and do not have time to teach simple math. I am not being rude, just tired of doing this for 10 years. PLEASE BUY A SCALE. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/cooking/tips/a1636/kitchen-equivalents/
AMEN lol and thank you for the great content
Can these be made the day before?
Yes they can, but I wouldn’t advise it for best results. If you do, keep the shells in a tin and fill them just before serving.