Rose di Carnevale, Sweet Italian Fritters

Rose di Carnevale are sweet Italian fritters, and it doesn’t get prettier than these rose-shaped pastries. They’re dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar and topped with roasted hazelnuts. I’ll bet you can’t eat just one!

Each year in Italy, during Carnival season, masked celebrants throughout the provinces mark the occasion with lavish parades and indulge in various delectable treats.

Families across Italy have their own favourite sweet fritters. Some very popular ones are strips of dough covered with powdered sugar. Depending on which part of Italy one hails from, they may go by various names, such as Cenci, Chiacchiere, or Frappe.

These gorgeous edible roses are simply that—strips of rolled pastry dough carved out with cookie cutters of various sizes. They are then overlapped and adhered to with a dab of water acting as a glue.

They’re simply one of many traditional Italian Carnival foods. 

And like most of these deep fried treats, they’re topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. 

Too cute, right?

How to make Rose Di Carnevale

The pastry dough is simple to make with just a few staple ingredients and takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

You can add a splash of  Grand Marnier Liquor, Brandy, sweet Marsala wine or a fruity Grappa after mixing the butter, if you like.

Once it’s ready, you’ll need to cover it with cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Whether using a pasta machine to roll the dough or a rolling pin, you’ll want thin sheets of pastry dough.

They should be no thicker then 1/8 of an inch.

To make the flower cutouts, you’ll need 3 different sizes.

I used sizes of 2 1/2 inch, 2 inch and 1 1/2 inch flower shaped cookie cutters.

Have a small bowl of water nearby. You’ll be using it to dip your finger into and dab the centre of the flower with a little water—just enough to dampen the dough so that the next cutout will stick to the one underneath.

And give it a little press in the middle to help it along!

Once you have all your cutouts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, keep them covered with a clean dishcloth while you heat the oil.

While the oil is heating up, prepare another cookie sheet lined with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb any excess oil from the deep-fried roses.

Check the recipe card below for how I kept the fritters submerged with a wooden spoon before releasing them to the surface. This allows the layers to crinkle up so prettily. 

How to fill the Carnival Roses with Nutella

See that centre pocket in the middle? That’s thanks to the tip of a wooden spoon handle pressed into the rose while frying, and it’s now ready and waiting for a dollop of creamy Nutella!

But before you fill the centre roses with Nutella, give them a generous dusting of powdered sugar!

You can spoon the Nutella in or use a piping bag to fill the centres.

Heads up: the piping bag does a cleaner job!

Finish the tops by pressing down a roasted hazelnut over the Nutella.

Not too shabby right?

Don’t let the long list of steps deter you from trying these deep fried roses. My aim was to make it easier for you by writing detailed instructions.

And they’re really not difficult to make. Not more so then making cutout sugar cookies.

Besides once you get the hang of frying a few and see how pretty they turn out, you’ll give yourself a pat on the shoulder for a job well done!

Remember though, as with most deep fried treats they’re best served freshly made while they’re still crispy.

But they’ll keep well for a few days in an airtight container. If they last that long that is!

Still hungry for more deep-fried goodness? 

Then you’ll love these pillowy soft Zeppole Ricotta Doughnuts. They’re sweet and crunchy and a snap to make!

In fact they’re so simple to make that I created a different variation such as these Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts).

Or if you’re not a fan of ricotta you might just want to try some Italian Orange Frittelle (Italian fried dough balls). They’re soft cake-like dough balls made with finely ground almonds, scented with orange mandarin zest and the warmth of vanilla.

Enjoy!

Print Pin

No ratings yet

Rose di Carnevale, Sweet Italian Fritters

Rose di Carnivale are sweet Italian fritters. They're one of many types of deep fried pastries made during the carnival season in Italy and fairly easy to make. The centres are filled with a dollop of Nutella and topped with roasted hazelnuts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Rose di Carnevale, Sweet Italian Fritters

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Equipment

• Pasta machine
• Flower shaped cookie cutters sizes 2 1/2, 2 and 1 1/2 inches

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• lemon zest (from one lemon)
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar (approximately)
• 1/2 cup nutella (approximately)
• 36 roasted Hazelnuts
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.
• In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and softened butter for 5 minutes.
• Mix in the lemon zest.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture.
• Using a fork, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the egg mixture until fully combined.
• Transfer the dough onto a work surface and knead till it all comes together in one cohesive ball.
• Cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Rolling Out The Dough With Pasta Machine

• Divide the dough into 8 pieces and keep it covered while working with one piece at a time.
• Work one piece of dough through the pasta machine at the widest setting then fold the dough in half and pass it through the pasta machine again.
• Next, pass the same sheet of dough once, through setting number 2 on the pasta machine.
• Dust the dough with a little bit of flour if it's too sticky.
• Switch to setting number 3 and pass the sheet of dough through once and repeat with setting 4 and finally setting number 5.
• Transfer the sheets of dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean dish cloth and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• When all rolled out, it's time to cut and shape the flowers.

Cutting And Shaping The Flowers

• Cut out equal amounts of 2 1/2 inch flowers, 2 inch flowers and 1 1/2 inch flowers.
• Superimpose the cut out flowers in stacks of three.
• Start by placing the 2 1/2 inch cutout on a work surface, dab the centre with a little bit of water and place the 2 inch cutout over it while pressing down in the middle of the flower so that the dough sticks together.
• Next, dab the top of the second flower with water and top with the smallest flower while pressing down again so that it adheres together.
• Use an off set spatula to transfer the 3 tiered flower to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
• Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough.
• Any scraps of cutouts can be re-kneaded into a ball, flattened and run through the pasta machine again.

Frying The Carnival Roses

• If you're new to this then start to fry the roses one at a time till you're comfortable doing 2 at a time.
• But even if you fry one at a time its quick and easy to do because they fry for a total of 35 seconds each, approximately.
• In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, pour in enough oil to reach 2 inches high and heat to 375 degrees F. (a candy thermometer comes in handy here)
• Fry the rose one at a time by pressing the centre with the round tip of a wooden spoon and keeping the rose submerged for 10 seconds. Then release the spoon allowing the rose to float to the top and let it fry for another 10 seconds. Then, flip the rose over and brown the other side for another 15 seconds. Or till a soft golden brown.
• Transfer the fried roses to a tray lined with paper towels to drain of any excess oil.
• When finished frying all the roses, dust with the powdered sugar.
• Top with a dollop of Nutella and a hazelnut.

Notes

Rolling Out The Dough With A Rolling Pin

If you don’t have a pasta machine, no problem!

You can roll out pieces of dough using a rolling pin.

If the dough is somewhat sticky simply dust your work space and rolling pin very lightly with some flour.

Roll the dough out to thin sheets of dough no thicker then 1/8 of an inch thick then continue with the recipe.

Tried this recipe?Mention @marisasitaliankitchen or tag #marisasitaliankitchen!