Italian Honey Clusters Recipes

Steps:

• Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil liners. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, aniseseed and salt. Stir in eggs and milk. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Shape into a disk; wrap and let stand 1 hour., Divide dough into 6 portions. Roll each portion into 1/2-in.-thick ropes; cut crosswise into 1/2-in. pieces. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 350°. Fry pieces, a few at a time, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Place dough pieces in a large heatproof bowl and keep warm in a 200° oven., In a large heavy saucepan, combine honey and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil 1 minute. Immediately remove from heat and drizzle over dough pieces. Stir to coat. Immediately spoon into prepared cups. Sprinkle with pine nuts and, if desired, nonpareils.

Steps:

• Place eggs in bowl and beat until they have tripled in volume. Add flour gradually until well blended (do not use all the flour). The dough should remain slightly sticky.
• Transfer to floured board. Cut off a piece at a time. Using a little flour, if needed, roll between your hands to form pencil shapes.
• Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Place each on floured cloth. In a large pan on top of the stove, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep-fry pieces about 1/2 cup at a time, turning constantly until golden. Drain and set aside. (Note: after several batches, dough begins to turn brown quickly. This means it is time to change the oil)
• In large pan, bring honey to boil with vanilla bean. Discard bean. Place deep-fried pieces into hot honey and toss until all are coated. Cool and stir in chocolate, nuts, and multi-colored jimmies. Place on plate, shaping firmly into tall cone. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Steps:

• Mix flour, eggs, butter, sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest, rum extract, and salt together in a large bowl to create a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into a thin log the width of your pinky finger, about 1/4 inch. Cut log into small pieces; roll into balls. Dust with flour to prevent from sticking.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan. Place a few balls of dough in a sieve to shake off excess flour. Cook in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
• Pour honey into a saucepan over low heat. Cook until a small amount of honey dropped into cold water forms a soft ball. Add fried balls of dough to the hot honey; stir gently with a wooden spoon until coated.
• Rinse a serving plate and shake off the water. Pile dough balls onto the serving plate in the shape of a dome or ring using damp hands or a damp wooden spoon. Garnish with sugar sprinkles. Let cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F
• Place 1 1/2 cup of the almonds in the blender or food processor and process until ground.
• Line a baking sheet with greased foil. Stir together ground almonds, whole almonds and honey in a medium bowl, mixing well. Line the work surface with wax paper. With clean, wet hands, form the almond/honey mixture into a sticky ball; divide in half. Keep dividing each ball in half until there are 32 small clusters. Lay each cluster on the prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.
• Let cool completely before removing from foil. Cookies will still be soft and chewy.
• Serve, or store airtight for up to 3 days.
• To roast whole almonds:.
• Spread in an ungreased baking pan. Place in 350ºF oven and bake 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Stir once or twice to assure even browning. Almonds will continue to roast slightly after removing from oven.