If Heaven is a place on earth, it’s Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. The French Quarter fixture specializes in cafe au lait and beignets. Beignets are French-style donuts that are square, rather than round, and are covered in powdered sugar – lots of it.
I always have Cafe Du Monde beignet mix and coffee with chicory in my pantry. When enjoyed together they make up a simple weekend breakfast that just can’t be beat.
As you can imagine, when the Test Kitchen decided to combine the two and make coffee beignets with a coffee glaze I couldn’t contain my excitement.
We switched things up a bit and didn’t cover these confections in a mound of powdered sugar (although, you definitely could). Instead, they dunked these steaming, deep-fried delights into a rich, coffee glaze.
The addition of coffee into the dough adds depth of flavour that standard beignets lack. The coffee glaze only heightens the rich coffee flavour and adds a beautiful sheen. Enjoy these coffee beignets with a cup of joe for a breakfast that coffee lovers, native New Orleanians, and brunch-goers alike will enjoy.
- 3/4 cup ground dark coffee
- 3 cups cold water
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 envelope (.25-ounce) active dry yeast
- 7 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups warm half and half (100-110°F)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Brew coffee on BOLD using 3/4 cup ground dark coffee with 3 cups water. After brewing, set aside 1/2 cup for the glaze.
- Beignets: In a large bowl of the stand mixer, combine sugar and yeast. Gradually add 1 ½ cups warm coffee (100-110°F) and let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.
- With the stand mixer on LOW, beat in half of the flour, half and half, eggs, butter and salt.
- Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Remove from bowl and knead for about 2 minutes, adding flour if necessary to make a smooth and soft dough.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Dough will be puffy but it does not have to double in size.
- Glaze: While the dough rises, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup coffee and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to dip the warm beignets.
- Heat oil in deep fryer to 350°F. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Place wire racks on top of paper towel-lined trays. Drop 4 squares of dough at a time into preheated oil. Fry about 1 minute per side. Remove from hot oil and drain on racks.
- Dip warm beignets into the glaze, and set onto wire racks to drain excess.
TAGS: beignet, beignets, breakfast, brunch, coffee, coffee maker, deep fryer, donut
CATEGORIES: appetizers & snacks, dessert, From the Test Kitchen