This is a wonderful recipe. The dough just gets better as you let it sit in the fridge. Because it makes so much, you can just pull out what you want to cook, punch the rest down and put it back in the fridge. You can also make cinnamon rolls out of this recipe as well. Roll it out into a rectangle, spread butter on it, sprinkle it with cinnamon/sugar mixture. I also fine chopped some apples and pecans and put in it as well. Roll up along the long side, pinch and seal the edge, then cut into inch wide rounds. Place cut side down on parchment paper and let them rise. Pop them in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. Mix 2 T melted butter, 1 t. vanilla, 1 T milk and enough powdered sugar to make a thick spread and drizzle it on the rolls while they are still hot. Yum!
This recipe is now a family tradition for xmas morning! Of course...it is going to be made way more often than once a year...I'd be hard pressed to pick out which was Cafe Du Monde's (fresh in the cafe) and which was this recipe in a taste test. There is a STEP MISSING from the recipe and it is crucial!! After you have allowed the dough to rise punch out the dough flatten and then allow to rise a SECOND time...only needs to be for an hour. This will ensure the beignets are full and fluffy inside and not flat and well...not fluffy inside. Cheers, Dane
I surprised my husband with a batch of warm beignets. He was very impressed! The beignets reminded me of the ones from the original Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. I didn't feel the flavor was too bland as some readers suggested, but it does require more powdered sugar then the recipe calls for. I'll probably add a little vanilla to enhance the flavor next time. Sorry I missed the hint about putting the powdered sugar in a brown bag. I had powdered sugar all over my counter and floor. Definitely a keeper! P.S. Since I was unable to use all the dough in one batch, I stored the remainder in the refrigerator overnight. The second batch of beignets came out just as crisp and moist as the first. day.
Anything French in nature can be daunting...(even French toast for me sometimes)! However, these aren't really that hard to make! Here are some things I learned from this recipe which may seem like a no-brainer to many, but I wasn't really sure having not ever fried in oil before. *Use a quart saucepan - not a frying pan. I know, seems silly, but maybe this will help someone. *I didn't use an entire packet of yeast, but am wondering if it really would have mattered much. It calls for 2 1/4 tsp and there's a bit more than that in the packet. *Don't just wait for the beignets to float to the top, they really need to plump. Make sure you flip them over so one side won't over cook. *Don't cut the pieces too small - they'll cook too quickly and not plump. *I didn't refrigerate the first "test" round and they turned out 90% correct. The second batch - fine - after refrigeration. *Am certain that butter would be fine instead of shortening. It's really just needing the fat component in the recipe at that point. *I used wax paper and a dusting of flour to pat out my dough. I used a pizza cutter to make the squares. *Be sure to use a paper bag with powdered sugar to toss/shake the cooked beignets. Super easy and less mess. Don't use a ziploc - they will stick to the sides. I hope this helps other beignet novices out there! I will make these again each year for Mardi Gras!
Excellent recipe that everyone from small children to grandparents love. I SUBSTITUTED BUTTER FOR SHORTENING because they have found that trans fats (hydrogenated oils like shortening and margarine) are unhealthy.
Otherwise, they were excellent, easy, and kept in the fridge for about a week as a ball of dough. This recipe yields a lot more than 10 servings, I think.
Didn't have evaporated milk, so I did the cardinal sin, and replaced it with sweetened condensed.
Turned out beautifully. Just needed to get the chicory coffee out. :)
Great recipe.
I am a Yankee farm girl who married a ragen cajun LOL. I had very little knowledge of traditional New Orleans food. I made these for my husband and asked him what he thought. He danced around and yelled BON BON and gave me a big kiss. He grabbed a plate full a cup of coffee and headed to his favorite chair! He looked like a four year old who just got a puppy for christmas! Guess that about says it all! Thanks so much, you saved my yankee hide! LOL
These remind me somewhat of Funnel Cake, these are less messy and very good. Great with a little added vanilla extract and sprinkled with cinnnamon/sugar! Could pipe in French Cream Filling or Almond Custard Filling found on this site (fruit/fruit fillings would be good also)
Yum!! This was so easy. I didn't refrigerate this dough at all and it was still easy to work with. I was able to inject creme and jelly filling in these too because they puff nicely. If you have a doughnut cutter roll the dough to about 1/2 inch they make great doughnuts too.
I agree with the others that said this was a bland dough. I even added some vanilla extract into the mix. If i tried these again, i would add more sugar, salt, and butter (instead of shortening). This makes a ton of dough; I halved the batch and will end up making around 30-40 of them. Make sure they are rolled out relatively thin, they poof up quite a bit. My husband thought they were better with maple syrup on top of the powdered sugar on them.
