Italian Strufoli - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. solid shortening
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. honey
confectioners sugar
crushed walnuts or pecans

Preparation

In a large
bowl,
add\tflour, sugar, salt, shortening, eggs and baking\tpowder\tin
the
order\tgiven.\tAdd
a little water, just enough to hold the dough together.
If it gets too sticky, add
a
little
more
flour.
Roll dough into a ball. Break off small pieces of dough and roll between floured hands into a
long roll that resembles a pencil.
Place on board and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
Fry in hot oil until golden.\tFry a small amount
at a\ttime.
Remove from hot oil with a slotted spoon and
drain
on brown paper until cooled.
In a deep pan, heat honey.
Drop in cooked balls and stir until coated.
Lift out
quickly
and
place on
a
large platter.
Mound high in center;
sprinkle
with confectioners sugar, crushed nuts and colored sprinkles if desired.