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Nonnenfürzle
Sugared choux puffs
Swabian carnival choux puffs dropped into hot fat and sugared
Nonnenfürzle, the cheeky 'nuns' puffs', are a Swabian Fasnet treat, fried in kitchens from Rottweil to Stuttgart in the days before Lent when butter, eggs and fat had to be used up. A choux-style dough is cooked in the pan, beaten with eggs and dropped by the spoonful into hot fat, where the little balls puff up and turn themselves over. Dusted with cinnamon sugar, they are crisp outside and hollow and custardy inside. The common mistake is adding the eggs while the dough is still hot, which scrambles them and stops the puffs rising. Chef's tip: dip the spoon in the hot oil before each scoop so the dough slides off cleanly.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup milk
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 4 eggsbeaten
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
- 2 ⅛ oz cinnamon sugarfor dusting
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Method
0/5 doneStep 2: Tip in all the 5 ½ oz plain flour at once and beat hard over a low heat for 1–2 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball and leaves a thin film on the pan base.
3 minStep 3: Move to a bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the 4 eggs a little at a time until the dough is glossy and drops slowly from the spoon.
10 minStep 4: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F. Drop in teaspoons of dough, 8 at a time, and fry for 5–6 minutes until they have puffed, turned over and are deep golden all round. They should feel light; if they sag when lifted, fry a minute longer.
25 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and toss in the 2 ⅛ oz cinnamon sugar. Eat warm.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nonnenfürzle take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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