February 21, 2015

Almond Beignets

In honor of Mardi Gras I thought what better way to celebrate than by making these light and fluffy little pillows of love! I wanted to bring the excitement of New Orleans Beignets into my Minnesota kitchen. They are perfectly crispy and sweet and I can’t get enough of them.

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (100-105 degrees)
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 ¼ tsp. (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil, plus more for frying (about 1 quart, depending on frying pan)
2 tsp. almond extract
¾ tsp. salt
3 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ cup powdered sugar, for dusting
¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine the water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes. (Until yeast gets bubbly and foamy. If this doesn’t work start over)

Attach dough hook and add eggs and vegetable oil and mix until combined. Slowly add the salt and flour (one cup at a time) until flour is all incorporated and smooth dough forms. The dough should be sticky. Remove the bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Flour work surface and roll dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, start by cutting dough vertically into 2 inch long strips. Then horizontally cut dough to form 30-35 squares. They don’t have to be perfect shape. It’s kind of fun to make them organic looking.

Cover two baking pans with parchment paper and place squares on pan. Refrigerate again for 1 hour.

Heat oil in large pan to 350 degrees F using a candy thermometer; or if you don’t have a thermometer heat to medium and test by placing a small piece of dough into hot oil if it starts floating and frying right away you are ready. Fry each square about 3-4 at a time for about 1-2 minutes, just until golden. Make sure they have enough room to move around. They puff up quite a bit. Place on plate lined with paper towel to catch the oil. Dust the powdered sugar and almonds over the top and enjoy! They are best warm and served that same day. You can also be creative with a dipping sauce to if you wish. Chocolate. Caramel. Almond Glaze. YUM!