Italian Doughnuts (Bomboloni)

Bombolone—still hot from the fryer, snowy with powdered sugar, and plump with vanilla cream—is joy itself.

It was a hot night in Rome the first time I had a bombolone. I was in my early twenties and had been out late with friends, and one of them “in the know” wanted to let me in on a late-night secret. He led me down a dark alley. I hardly knew what to expect—an ambush? But the only activity we found was an entrepreneurial baker selling midnight bomboloni out the back door of a bakery. The bomboloni were hot out of the fryer, and the cream inside was cool and freshly made. As we stood in the quiet alley eating these warm, sweet handfuls, I was giddy with delight.Now, as then, I think that a freshly made bombolone—still hot from the fryer, snowy with powdered sugar, and plump with vanilla cream—is joy itself.[tasty-recipe id="3870"]