Ástarpungar

Love balls

Ástarpungar is translated quite literally as “loveballs” in English. In the supermarket, these “loveballs” are often advertised as a typical Icelandic specialty - which of course they are!

"Ást" means "love" and "pungur" means something like "sack" or "bag", although the word is also used for the male anatomy - just like "balls" in English. Um, yes, understandable, based on the look, but did I really want to know that exactly?!?

Ingredients for approx. 30 balls

2 eggs
240 g sugar
900 g flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cardamom
180 g Skyr
100 g raisins

1 kg vegetable fat for deep-frying  


Preparation

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until frothy.

Add flour, baking powder, vanilla, cardamom and Skyr and mix and knead everything thoroughly.

Finally add the raisins and knead them in.

Using your hands, form walnut-sized balls out of the dough.

Heat the vegetable fat in a high pot.

Then place the balls (in portions of between 4 and 6 balls at a time, depending on the size of the pot) into the hot vegetable oil and deep-fry for about 4 minutes, turning regularly so that the love balls become golden brown on all sides.

Then carefully remove the balls from the fat with a ladle and let them drain on kitchen paper.

Ástarpungar taste good warm and cold!

[Translated from here.]