In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, orange zest, olive oil, and anise liqueur.

Mix with a fork, then knead by hand on a lightly floured counter for 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 1 cm / 0.4 inch thick, then cut the rope into pea-sized pieces, roughly 1 cm each.

Roll each piece briefly between your palms into a small ball. You should end up with about 180 to 200 dough balls, roughly the size of chickpeas, which is where cicerchiata gets its name.

Pour the frying oil into a 3-quart / 2.8 L heavy pot to a depth of 5 cm / 2 inches and heat to 175 C / 350 F. Fry the dough balls in batches of 30 to 40 so they have room to color evenly, for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden brown all over.

Lift the fried balls out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the dough is fried, letting the oil come back to 175 C / 350 F between batches.

Warm the honey, sugar, and water in a 26 cm / 10-inch skillet over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the honey is loose and runny, about 3 minutes. Do not let it boil hard or it will turn brittle once cooled.

Add the fried dough balls to the skillet and toss gently with a wooden spoon until every ball is glazed, about 2 minutes.

Tip the coated balls onto a serving platter and shape into a ring or low mound while still warm and sticky.

Scatter the toasted almonds, colored sprinkles, and candied orange peel over the top, pressing lightly so they stick to the honey.

Let the cicerchiata sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour so the honey sets slightly before pulling apart to serve.