Beignets with Chocolate Sauce

Today my baby girl turns 6!!! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! Her birthday breakfast of choice was beignets, and if you know Anya this doesn't come as a surprise. Beignets are her all time favorite special treat!

I loved this recipe and it will become my go-to beignet recipe. The yeast dough came together quickly (I assembled it last night) and they fried up in about 2 minutes this morning. This made a fancy breakfast on a school morning very easy!

We loved them, the birthday girl loved them, and it was a great start to a great day!



Beignets with Chocolate Sauce

•1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
•2 eggs, slightly beaten
•1 1/4 tsp. salt
•1 cup evaporated milk
•7 cups bread flour
•1/4 cup shortening or butter
•Oil, for deep-frying (I like peanut or canola)
•3 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Sauce:
•6 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
•12 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
•1 1/2 cups half and half

1.Mix the yeast, sugar and water in a large mixer bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2.In another bowl, beat together eggs, salt and evaporated milk.

3.Pour egg mixture into the yeast mixture and stir well.

4.Add 3 cups of flour and mix on low or stir until combined.

5.Add shortening or butter and continue adding the remaining 4 cups of flour slowly until it’s all incorporated. Dough will be sticky.

6.At this point you can switch your mixer to the dough hook and beat on medium, adding more flour about a tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a smooth ball (about 4-6 minutes). If you don’t have a mixer or would rather knead, place the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding a little more flour as needed (about 8-10 minutes). The dough may still be a bit sticky, but shouldn’t be overly so.

7.Spray a bowl with cooking spray and place the dough inside. If the bowl doesn’t have a cover, lightly place some plastic wrap on top. Let rise for 2 hours in a warm spot. I like to turn my oven on to the lowest temperature for about a minute and then immediately turn it off again. Then I place the bowl in the warm oven.

8.Filling/Dipping Sauce: In a sauce pan over low heat, mix together butter, chocolate, and half and half. Stir frequently until all the chocolate and butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

9.Pour into a bowl and cover.

10.When the dough is ready, place a deep pot like a dutch oven on the stove and add enough oil to fill the pot about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep.

11.Turn the burner to medium and preheat to 350 degrees.

12.While the oil is heating up, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a square or rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Use a knife or pastry cutter to cut into 2×2 inch squares.

14.Set several layers of paper towels near your pot. Fill a paper or plastic bag with powdered sugar and place that near the paper towels.

15.When the dough is cut and the oil is at the correct temperature, add a dough square, one a time, to the pot with a slotted spoon. Fry 4-6 at time depending on the size of your pot. Be careful: if you add too many at once or you may wind up burning them. Use the slotted spoon to flip them over every 30 seconds. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. If they are taking longer than 3 minutes to brown you need to turn your burner up and make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Let cool for a minute and then transfer to the bag of sugar. Hold the bag closed and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining squares.