Sweet Recipe: It’s Castagnole Time, and here is a really easy recipe for some Italian plant-based and gluten-free sweet dough balls.

One of the most popular Italian pastry during Carnival time, this Castagnole are baked (there is also a deep fried version).

Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. (Guillaume Apollinaire)

And NO, they are not that healthy anyway (100%), but, at least, you can indulge – for once (!) – without worrying to much… After all it’s Carnival Time!

Welcome to our plant-based recipes collection, in collaboration with OttimoBlog.com | Here happily edited and translated by Orsola 🤓

Recipe for Carnival’s Castagnole

This Italian version of the sweet dough balls is so good, you can’t stop at just one!

[servings: around 30 pieces | total time: 40 minutes | difficulty: easy]
| Please note that the info and directions provided for the recipe are indicative: the end result may vary from person to person |

Ingredients

• 100 g gluten-free mix (we used the Universal mix by Schar)
• 50 g buckwheat flour
• 50 g rice flour
• 5 g baking powder (to make them light and airy)
• 30 (35) g whole cane sugar
• 1 lemon – grated zest (untreated, pesticide-free please)
• 120 mL vegetable milk
• 65 g soy butter (or vegan margarine) at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch bourbon vanilla
• powdered sugar to taste

Tools: large bowl; ice cream scoop; cake brush; fine mesh strainer

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a fork, by giving it a quick stir to combine.
2. Add the margarine, then the vegetable milk. Mix till the dough reach a soft and slightly sticky consistency.
3. With the ice cream scoop (with your hands, if you don’t have one), shape the dough into balls a bit larger than a chestnut; you should get about 30 pieces.
4. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking sheet, and arrange them spaced apart;
5. brush each one with little oil, and sprinkle some icing sugar on top.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for about 18/20 minutes, remove and sprinkle some more icing sugar and…
7. Yum! Eat right away, they are so goog when hot. Cold too!

Notes and substitutions

• If you want to replace the margarine (I’m using) with oil, try with sunflower seed oil (light in color and neutral in flavor), but reduce the dose of the fat down to 40 or 50 g. Please note that I haven’t tested it.
• For the plant-based milk, I opted for a sugar-free soy milk, which I find suitable for its neutral flavour; but oat (possibly gluten-free) or almond milk are also fine.

Buon Appetibilis!

Per la ricetta in italiano, cliccate su Castagnole di Carnevale e… Gnam! buona lettura.

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Simona Scarone

Cucina, corsi, oli essenziali.
Insegno a cucinare in modo sano, testo e invento ricette “plant based” anche in video.
Scrivo racconti di cucina e non solo.

Cuisine, cooking lessons, essential oils.
I teach healthy cooking, test and create “plant based” recipes, also on video.
I write about food, and other stories.