My First Attempt At Making Beignets

This past Saturday I made beignets. During my trip to New Orleans, I was sitting on a bench in Jackson Square early one morning and a nice gentleman offered me a beignet. He and his wife had bought a sack full of beignets from Cafe Du Monde. They had far more than they could eat, so I took one. OMG! I became an instant beignet lover.

Beignets are French donuts. I was told beignet means small pillow in French. They are puffy, square pastries rolled in powdered sugar. They must be eaten while they are hot. Cold ones really won't do. While I was in New Orleans, I bought a box of beignet mix. (You can also find the Cafe Du Monde beignet mix at Kroger.)

Finally, this weekend, I decided to try to make a batch. I doubted I would have any success. This is how I proceeded and what I learned.

I mixed a cup of the mix and 31/2 ounces of water. Formed a ball of dough and rolled out on floured wax paper.

I rolled the dough too thin. The second picture illustrates the size you need. 

Next, I used a cast iron skillet for cooking. I love cast iron because it holds and distributes heat so well. You need to keep the oil a constant temperature and I don't have an electric skillet but I figured the iron skillet would work. It did an amazing job! I kept it on med-high.

When you drop the squares of dough in the oil, they puff up like little pillows! I was enthralled. Beignets are very easy to cook. After they had become puffy, I used a slotted spoon to turn them in the oil. It only took a few minutes, not more than 5 minutes, for them to turn a golden brown. 

Then roll them in confectioner's sugar and eat immediately. This is one yummy treat! Bon Appétit!

Tweets appreciated!