Love a classic beignet? Take it up several notches with this Apple Cider Beignet variation! Think of fluffy beignets with a hint of spice, dipped in a flavorful caramel apple sauce… I wouldn’t be surprised if your mouth is already watering!
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Apple Cider Beignet Inspiration
A few years ago, my hubby and I took a quick trip to New Orleans for our anniversary. Neither of us had been before, and because we were living in Houston, it wasn’t too far of a drive. We both love Cajun food, so we were really looking forward to the food.
After stuffing ourselves with gumbo, jambalaya, sausages, and more, we wandered over to Café Du Monde and ordered some of their famous beignets. One bite in and I was hooked. Seriously, it was love at first sight but the food version, ha-ha! We had powdered sugar all over ourselves and cleared our plate in no time. Needless to say, we had a fun, food-filled weekend!
Fast forward a few years, we’ve made all sorts of Cajun foods trying to recreate the tasty dishes we enjoyed that weekend! None are as good, I will admit, but I will certainly keep trying!
Last week, my hubby was in the mood for beignets. You can actually buy the Café de Monde mix from the stores, but it still doesn’t taste the same. The one thing we hadn’t attempted to recreate was the beignets. How do you create perfection, right?! If you’ve ever set the bar high, only to be disappointed when something wasn’t as expected, you can understand my hesitancy.
So, I offered to go with him to the store to get the mix, but he surprised me saying he wanted to make them. To be honest, I wasn’t too optimistic, especially when he mentioned wanting to change it up and make a cinnamon, apple cider beignets version (I may or may not have bought WAY too many apples that needed to be used). He enlisted the help of my daughter for this task, and they set out to work. Occasionally I popped my head in the kitchen to see how things were going, but this was all their effort.
After the dough was ready, had risen, and was ready to be fried, that’s when I made my appearance. Someone had to be the unbiased taste tester, right? Not only did these smell incredible as they were baking, but I was taking pictures as they were working and posting them to my Instagram. I had several messages requesting the recipe even before we knew if they were going to be good!
After taking a bite of the first one, I was SHOCKED! I felt they were IDENTICAL to Café du Monde—only Apple Cinnamon! The dipping sauce was my favorite part because it complimented the flavor perfectly too. These will definitely help hold off our cafe craving until the next time we’re in New Orleans! So, if you love beignets, or even if you’ve never tried them, give this recipe a try! This apple cider beignet recipe will surely make you a fan for life!
What Is A Beignet?
Great question. Not everyone has had the pleasure of trying a beignet. Naturally that means there are going to be people who don’t even know what a beignet is. It’s essentially a fried fritter made of dough—making it a delicious pastry and/or dessert. It typically has confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top too.
According to the National Geographic, beignets “are the official state doughnut of Louisiana”. So that should give you a further indication on whether or not you might like these. If you like donuts, you’re likely going to also be a fan of beignets!
The Origins of Beignets
As you may have been able to gather from its namesake, beignets hail from France. Although eating fried dough in general can be linked back to ancient Rome. Traditional beignets are considered a ‘choux’ pastry which translates to cabbage in French. You might be wondering, why would a pastry be referred to as a cabbage? No, it’s not made out of cabbage, ha-ha! It’s simply because of its unique shape that first lent the name to the pastry. Of course, after years in circulation, baking, and improving—it began to take on a more of a simple, cleaner shape that you know today.
Ingredients Needed
- Apple cider: Cider will give you that maximum fall flavor without it having to actually be fall. The cider is going to give your beignets a unique twist to a standard classic recipe.
- Apple pie spice: This spice is going to take your beignets to the next level of flavor!
- Active dry yeast: Active dry yeast will help your beignets rise into their full fluffy potential.
- Large eggs: Your eggs will help give your beignets some fluffiness!
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt will do. It won’t add saltiness to your dish at all. In fact, if you’re a frequent baker you’ll know that salt is a very common staple when it comes to baking desserts.
- Other important ingredients include: evaporated milk, unsalted butter, melted, bread flour, powdered sugar, canola oil, lukewarm water, sugar.
- *see the recipe card below for more detailed information
Best Beignet Dipping Sauce
- Apple cider: You can’t have apple cider dipping sauce without the sweet apple cider!
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar offers an extra element of flavor and sweetness to the dipping sauce.
- Heavy cream: Boiling heavy cream with your other ingredients will be what helps thicken your sauce. Mixed with your apple cider, you’ll have an enriching sauce in no time!
- Unsalted butter: Butter will also help thicken your sauce, while also bringing a rich, sweet element to it, as well as absorbing the flavors around it seamlessly.
- Salt: Just a little salt goes a long way. You’re not going to be using a lot (see further detailed information in the recipe card below). It just helps bring out the bold sweet flavors even more!
Step by Step Directions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring the apple cider to a boil, then cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool.
- In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the water, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- In a clean large bowl, whisk together the reduced apple cider, eggs, salt, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, the evaporated milk, and melted butter. Add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Next, add half of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Then add the remaining flour and stir until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Grease a clean large bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and the remaining tablespoon of apple pie spice. Then set it aside.
- Now it’s time to make the caramel: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring the apple cider to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar to the reduced cider and continue cooking until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and whisk quickly to incorporate. Gradually add the cubed butter and whisk to melt completely. Whisk in the salt, then remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.
- In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and set it nearby. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 36 2-inch squares. Working in batches, fry the dough squares in the hot oil until light golden brown, about one minute per side.
- Transfer to the wire rack and immediately dust with the apple pie spice sugar.
- Serve with caramel and don’t forget to enjoy!
Have you ever had beignets before? If so, have you ever had unique, non-traditional flavors? I’d love to hear about unique beignet flavors you’ve tried or your own beignet-making experience in the comments below!
Check out these other great apple recipes:
Baked Caramel Apple Cider Donuts
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Apple Cider Beignets Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
BEIGNETS
DIPPING SAUCE
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring the apple cider to a boil, then cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let cool.
- In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the water, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the reduced apple cider, eggs, salt, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, the evaporated milk, and melted butter. Add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine
- Add half of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Add the remaining flour and stir until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Grease a clean large bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and remaining tablespoon of apple pie spice. Set aside.
- Make the caramel: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring the apple cider to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar to the reduced cider and continue cooking until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and whisk quickly to incorporate. Gradually add the cubed butter and whisk to melt completely. Whisk in the salt, then remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.
- In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and set nearby. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 36 2-inch squares. Working in batches, fry the dough squares in the hot oil until light golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to the wire rack and immediately dust with the apple pie spice sugar. Serve with caramel.
Notes
Nutrition
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