chiacchiere {fried Italian pastries}

Chiacchiere are traditional fried Italian pastries enjoyed at Carnevale and Mardi Gras! They're light, crispy, and dusted with an irresistible layer of vanilla-scented powdered sugar.

Ohhh, friends. Y'all are in for such a treat today! I am about to introduce you to literally the new best thing in your life. These are called Chiacchiere, and they are traditional fried Italian pastries that are eaten around Carnevale each year. I'm from Milano, so that's what we call them, but some other regions call them Frappe, Lattughe, Crostoli, Bugie... there's so many different words for the same thing! I'm a smidge late in posting them because they really should be eaten right around Mardi Gras, but well... they're so delicious that nobody is gonna care, to be honest!

I know they look good, but I'm sure you're wondering, what exactly are Chiacchiere anyway? Well, I'm glad you asked! They are made of a simple, lightly sweetened dough that is rolled out paper thin, cut, and fried until bubbly and golden brown, then showered in vanilla-scented powdered sugar. They are absolutely addicting and so light and crisp that you could literally eat a million and still crave more. Trust me. I speak from experience.

Being Italian, of course we roll these out using a pasta machine, but you can make these using a rolling pin too! Just be aware that you have to make these as thin as humanly possible for them to come out really, REALLY good. I will say that practically anything you can make in Italy, we've figured out how to make here, but one downfall is that vanilla powdered sugar is not a thing in the US. Truly, y'all are missing out. Once you try the fancy stuff, you'll be ruined for the plain powdered sugar forever! We pack it in our suitcases whenever we go visit so we're stocked up, but if you want to be REALLY authentic, you can find some HERE too!

What did I tell you? Paper. Thin. These are amazing! If you're wanting to make one Italian project this year, make it this one. I promise you won't be disappointed! Buon appetito! 🙂

Looking for more Italian desserts? Check out my Bomboloni, Italian Apple Cake, Panettone, Baci di Dama, and Crostata!

Print Recipe

chiacchiere {fried Italian pastries}

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Fun Treats

Servings: 4 -5 dozen

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup sparkling sweet white wine {more or less as needed}
• vegetable oil for frying
• powdered sugar for topping

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients and about half the wine.
• Mix until a dough forms, and add the rest of the wine a little at a time.
• Lightly flour a clean working surface, and knead for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and homogenous. Dough should be firm but not dry.
• Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.
• When ready, take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 8-10 even pieces.
• Working 1 piece at a time, lightly flour it, and run it through a pasta machine in the biggest setting. Fold in half and run it through in a thinner setting. Repeat the process until you can run the dough through the thinnest setting.
• Lay the dough sheet out on a lightly floured surface, and cut into rectangles with two extra slits down the middle. Repeat with about half the dough, covering them with a tea towel as you go to prevent them from getting dry.
• At this point, you are ready to fry! Heat oil in a wide, shallow pan {about 2 inches deep} to 170-180C. Usually I just eyeball it and it's ready when it shimmers and a few bubbles are forming at the bottom. Prep a large pan or plate with paper towels to place the cooked product.
• Place chiacchiere in the oil 1-2 at a time, and cook for about 30-45 seconds each. They should be very bubbled and relatively white to light golden colored.
• Remove from oil and place on prepared plate lined with paper towels. These cook super quick! Repeat with all chiacchiere, then sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
• Repeat the process with the remaining dough. You can do it all at once if you prefer {cutting all the chiacchiere then frying them all} but I find that they get a little too dry that way.
• Enjoy immediately or store in a cool, dry place. These honestly last over a week in my household and we store them on a paper-towel lined sheet pan in a cold oven.

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