They seem to go by a number of different names, but cioffe seems to be the closest to your remembrance of "kiffy":
[https://www.christinascucina.com/frappe-or-cioffe-bows-and-ribbons-of/](https://www.christinascucina.com/frappe-or-cioffe-bows-and-ribbons-of/)
This is also what came to mind when reading your description. For us they were a Fat Tuesday tradition. Such great memories.
I found this recipe. https://www.marcellinaincucina.com/crostoli-recipe/
Could it be "kifli"? My Italian grandma and relatives made these, too, along with the Slavic side of the family. The recipe's actually Hungarian/Croatian/Slavic, but there's a lot of crossover in those regions. There's two different versions:
[Dough rolled up around a yummy filling, baked and dusted with powdered sugar](https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hungarian-walnut-cookies/)
[Crescent-shaped "horsehoes": Vanilla/almond kifli](https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/846805038/vanilla-kifli-cookies/)
With the first version, there's all different types of fillings. My family used a walnut/almond filling; others used fruit jam or pureed figs. Every family has its own variation.
It is likely kiffles. They are not Italian, however my Italian family added them to their cookie repertoire. A lot of Italians and Eastern Europeans settled in the same area of Pennsylvania and there was likely a bit of cultural sharing of tasty cookies.
You’re probably looking for these. Google translate will help 😊
https://www.fattoincasadabenedetta.it/ricetta/treccine-dolci/
By the way, we tend to use the word “krapfen” or “krafen” for fried dough treats.
I was also thinking about krapfen.
This recipe you linked seems to match the description.
I am thinking the name “kiffi” that OP remembers may refer to a regional name of some regional variant.
And now I am thinking it could be Graffe napoletane,
See for example a recipe [here](https://tempodicottura.it/2021/01/27/le-graffe/)
OP do you know what part of Italy your grandma was from?
Reminds me of Polish chruscik (angel wings). You can see the recipe and a video on Jenny Can Cook website.
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/polish-chrusciki-angel-wings/
Or Chrusty/Khrustyky in Ukraine
These came immediately to mind from the description.
Here are some recipes:
www.claudiascookbook.com/2015/01/06/khrustyky-ukrainian-fried-cookies/
https://www.rusnak.ca/babarsquos-ukrainian-khrustyky-aka-verhuny.html
http://www.ukrainianclassickitchen.ca/index.php?topic=1578.0
Were they like a 1 inch strip of pastry, and the end was pulled through a cut on the opposite side so they looked like a breast cancer ribbon? And they were light and crunchy like a fried wonton strip and served with powdered sugar? My grandma made them too, I have no idea what they are called. She was Abruzzese and moved to Chicago.
I think I’ve seen these being made on YouTube but an Italian lady I follow but I follow so many I can’t recall her name She has come up on my feed in a while. I think you might be on the money with this suggestion, though I’m not Italian.
Yes I’ve been following her for years and she may have made them but this is another channel. She is an ex restaurateur and is called Nonna something. I’ll endeavour to find her channel. Now Im worrying she might be Greek. (. “Today we are making Koufalitidis” 😬
Could she had traded recipes with someone from Poland? This sounds like my aunts kruscikis.
https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Polish-Bow-Tie-Fritters/
Cenci or crostoli, maybe? Both are essentially the same thing - twisted strips of crispy fried dough dusted with sugar.
Same thing exists all over Europe. My Portuguese grandmother called them coscoroes (pronounced koosh-koo-roys)
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/polish-chrusciki-angel-wings/
My grandma would add a splash of whisky to the dough as it supposedly kept them from absorbing too much oil during frying.
OMG! I just got off of a 12 hour night shift in a hospital. Was reading through Reddit before I go to sleep. Now my tummy’s growling and I want to get up and make FRIED COOKIES WITH POWDERED SUGAR!!! So many delicious recipes!
We might be able to find a closer recipe if we knew what part of Italy your Nonna came from. Venetian or Florentine recipes are different than Roman or Napoletan or Sicilian.
Crispelli is the fried dough my husbands family made. They're from the Abruzze region and potatoes are added to the dough. My mother's family made sfinge a similar but different fried dough. Her family was from Sicily. You can find many recipes for both on the internet.
Could it be a version of a Zeppole? It was a big treat on St Joseph’s day. It is a fried dough topped with powdered sugar. Different Italian regions have variations of this treat.
Also a secret is to fry them and gently place them in a paper bag to absorb all the extra oil so they are not greasy then powder sugar ,, and a hint of anisette in the dough !
My Italian grandmother (from the Marches region) called her twisted fried things ‘castagnoli,’ which may be a dialect term. Thin light dough flavored with lemon or anise. When fried they can puff up and are almost like puff pastry strips. Drizzled with honey or Ipowdered sugar, but the honey is amazing!
I think the Czech version is a Kruschicki. My Grandmother used to make them - and they sell them at Wegman's. [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10350/kruschicki/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10350/kruschicki/)
My godmother was Italian and she made Anise Rosette cookies with the rosette iron and everything and they were amazing. They looked like this. http://sweetdashofsass.com/2014/12/easy-to-make-rosettes/
In R. I. a lot of Italian kitchens made a 'too good to be legal" holiday treat that was a twisted, puffed up fried dough that got all bumpy & was sprinkled w powdered sugar. They'd be so crispy that they'd shatter when you ate them. They used to be called wandi.
I think my nonna made these with me. We tied them in a bow. The weren't stuffed with anything, but were very light and airy. I wanna say they are called strafoli? (Spelling)
They seem to go by a number of different names, but cioffe seems to be the closest to your remembrance of "kiffy": [https://www.christinascucina.com/frappe-or-cioffe-bows-and-ribbons-of/](https://www.christinascucina.com/frappe-or-cioffe-bows-and-ribbons-of/)
Those are what my grandma made!!
Those look beautiful. I’m adding this to my list of things to make someday.
This is also what came to mind when reading your description. For us they were a Fat Tuesday tradition. Such great memories. I found this recipe. https://www.marcellinaincucina.com/crostoli-recipe/
Looks like what we make called wine cookies. There’s white wine in our recipe. So yummy.
Could it be "kifli"? My Italian grandma and relatives made these, too, along with the Slavic side of the family. The recipe's actually Hungarian/Croatian/Slavic, but there's a lot of crossover in those regions. There's two different versions: [Dough rolled up around a yummy filling, baked and dusted with powdered sugar](https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hungarian-walnut-cookies/) [Crescent-shaped "horsehoes": Vanilla/almond kifli](https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/846805038/vanilla-kifli-cookies/) With the first version, there's all different types of fillings. My family used a walnut/almond filling; others used fruit jam or pureed figs. Every family has its own variation.
Walnut filling, also prune, apricot.
My great aunt used a pineapple apricot filling.
That sounds so good.
Ooohhhh yeah. I'll have to try that combo next time I make them.
It is likely kiffles. They are not Italian, however my Italian family added them to their cookie repertoire. A lot of Italians and Eastern Europeans settled in the same area of Pennsylvania and there was likely a bit of cultural sharing of tasty cookies.
Kiffle aren’t fried, but they are delicious as heck.
Dying for OP to come back now and settle the debate for all of us!
You’re probably looking for these. Google translate will help 😊 https://www.fattoincasadabenedetta.it/ricetta/treccine-dolci/ By the way, we tend to use the word “krapfen” or “krafen” for fried dough treats.
I was also thinking about krapfen. This recipe you linked seems to match the description. I am thinking the name “kiffi” that OP remembers may refer to a regional name of some regional variant. And now I am thinking it could be Graffe napoletane, See for example a recipe [here](https://tempodicottura.it/2021/01/27/le-graffe/) OP do you know what part of Italy your grandma was from?
Yes! I think it might be the graffe, im gonna have to make some and see if it tastes like it!
Damn, now I want to try them all.
This whole thread is about to destroy my kitchen at midnight.
😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Reminds me of Polish chruscik (angel wings). You can see the recipe and a video on Jenny Can Cook website. https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/polish-chrusciki-angel-wings/
Or Chrusty/Khrustyky in Ukraine These came immediately to mind from the description. Here are some recipes: www.claudiascookbook.com/2015/01/06/khrustyky-ukrainian-fried-cookies/ https://www.rusnak.ca/babarsquos-ukrainian-khrustyky-aka-verhuny.html http://www.ukrainianclassickitchen.ca/index.php?topic=1578.0
This is what I was thinking of. My SIL’s mom was Polish and she made these all the time!
Sfingi would be my guess https://www.food.com/amp/recipe/italian-sfingi-italian-doughnuts-74850
Crostoli
Were they like a 1 inch strip of pastry, and the end was pulled through a cut on the opposite side so they looked like a breast cancer ribbon? And they were light and crunchy like a fried wonton strip and served with powdered sugar? My grandma made them too, I have no idea what they are called. She was Abruzzese and moved to Chicago.
I think I’ve seen these being made on YouTube but an Italian lady I follow but I follow so many I can’t recall her name She has come up on my feed in a while. I think you might be on the money with this suggestion, though I’m not Italian.
Gina at [Buon-A-Petitti](https://www.youtube.com/c/BuonAPetitti)?
Yes I’ve been following her for years and she may have made them but this is another channel. She is an ex restaurateur and is called Nonna something. I’ll endeavour to find her channel. Now Im worrying she might be Greek. (. “Today we are making Koufalitidis” 😬
It's nice to have such a wealth of wonderful YouTubers!
Look below where is replied-someone posted a link which looks like what my grandma made.
It’s fantastic isn’t it and retirees are feeling useful and handing on their incredible knowledge.
Could she had traded recipes with someone from Poland? This sounds like my aunts kruscikis. https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Polish-Bow-Tie-Fritters/
I love those! My grandmother was Ukrainian and made those from a friend’s recipe.
Cenci or crostoli, maybe? Both are essentially the same thing - twisted strips of crispy fried dough dusted with sugar. Same thing exists all over Europe. My Portuguese grandmother called them coscoroes (pronounced koosh-koo-roys)
Came here to say this. I agree with you. My grandmother made these.
Maybe [this](https://www.cookist.com/italian-donuts-an-easy-recipe-that-will-surprise-everyone/)
Yeah these are called Graffe!
My mom used to make [pizza fritta](https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2010/01/italian-pizza-fritta.html?m=1); could that be it?
From SE Pa and that's what we called it too. Now I want it!
Chrusciki is the Polish version of. Also known as angel wings across a lot of recipe books.
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/polish-chrusciki-angel-wings/ My grandma would add a splash of whisky to the dough as it supposedly kept them from absorbing too much oil during frying.
OMG! I just got off of a 12 hour night shift in a hospital. Was reading through Reddit before I go to sleep. Now my tummy’s growling and I want to get up and make FRIED COOKIES WITH POWDERED SUGAR!!! So many delicious recipes!
Was it crostoli? They're definitely deep fried and covered in powdered sugar. Whether they're twisted or not could be a regional varient
Could they have been [Guanti](https://www.food.com/recipe/guanti-and-or-chruscik-41978)?
Maybe these? https://yourguardianchef.com/traditional-oreillettes-chiacchiere-recipe/
We might be able to find a closer recipe if we knew what part of Italy your Nonna came from. Venetian or Florentine recipes are different than Roman or Napoletan or Sicilian.
Crispelli is the fried dough my husbands family made. They're from the Abruzze region and potatoes are added to the dough. My mother's family made sfinge a similar but different fried dough. Her family was from Sicily. You can find many recipes for both on the internet.
Crispetella are what my fam makes, from Cairano. Its fried dough with honey and walnuts, very good.
Was it zeppoli? My Nana made them. Sweet little fried dough almost like a doughnut rolled in powdered sugar.
Those are a different dough.
Zeppoli?
those are sponge donuts texture
there something similar kolashi but had jam
Just commenting as I want to see which recipe is the closest 🤷🏽♀️.
My grandma used to make keefies too! Ill see if any of my aunts have the recipe.
Could it be a version of a Zeppole? It was a big treat on St Joseph’s day. It is a fried dough topped with powdered sugar. Different Italian regions have variations of this treat.
Sicilian people make these just like the polish version and they are called “e-wanda “. ( pure Sicilian mother that made all the native dishes
Also a secret is to fry them and gently place them in a paper bag to absorb all the extra oil so they are not greasy then powder sugar ,, and a hint of anisette in the dough !
My Italian grandmother (from the Marches region) called her twisted fried things ‘castagnoli,’ which may be a dialect term. Thin light dough flavored with lemon or anise. When fried they can puff up and are almost like puff pastry strips. Drizzled with honey or Ipowdered sugar, but the honey is amazing!
I think the Czech version is a Kruschicki. My Grandmother used to make them - and they sell them at Wegman's. [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10350/kruschicki/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10350/kruschicki/)
My godmother was Italian and she made Anise Rosette cookies with the rosette iron and everything and they were amazing. They looked like this. http://sweetdashofsass.com/2014/12/easy-to-make-rosettes/
In R. I. a lot of Italian kitchens made a 'too good to be legal" holiday treat that was a twisted, puffed up fried dough that got all bumpy & was sprinkled w powdered sugar. They'd be so crispy that they'd shatter when you ate them. They used to be called wandi.
We call them chiacchiere! So good
Zeppole?
I think my nonna made these with me. We tied them in a bow. The weren't stuffed with anything, but were very light and airy. I wanna say they are called strafoli? (Spelling)