Sweet Pumpkin Fritters

Sweet pumpkin fritters are a delicious autumnal dessert, perfect for making original use of pumpkin. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

• 300 g of cleaned pumpkin
• 200 g of flour
• 50 g of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 packet of baking powder
• 1 pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• Grated zest of 1 orange or lemon (optional)
• Oil for frying
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by cutting the pumpkin into pieces and steaming or baking them until soft. Once ready, mash it with a fork or use a food mill to obtain a puree.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with sugar and mix well.

3. Add the eggs and continue mixing until you get a homogeneous mixture.

4. At this point, incorporate the sifted flour with the baking powder, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and the grated zest of the orange or lemon, if you decided to use them.

5. Mix everything until you have a thick, lump-free batter.

6. Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan and, once it reaches the right temperature (about 170-180 °C), scoop small amounts of the batter with a spoon and fry them until golden, turning them halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.

7. Drain the fritters on paper towels to remove excess oil.

8. If you like, dust the fritters with powdered sugar before serving.

Curiosity

Pumpkin fritters vary in many regions of Italy – depending on local traditions, they may be enriched with raisins, pine nuts or flavored with different types of spices. In some places, pumpkin fritters may be associated with festivities like Halloween or Carnival.

These fritters are a delightful sweet variant that makes use of one of the typical ingredients of autumn and can be served both as a dessert and as a snack.