Ricotta Beignets
Photo by Jennifer May
MAKES
about 50 beignets (doughnut hole size)
TAKES
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
One of the styles of beignet that I especially love because it is so immensely easy to make. These doughnut-hole sized treats are crisp on the outside, but gorgeously light and fluffy inside. I flavor mine with vanilla bean + orange zest, and dust them - extremely generously - with powdered sugar when they’re fresh. Whatever you do - serve warm!
INGREDIENTS
489 g / 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
170 g / 3 large eggs, at room temperature
27 g / 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
66 g / ⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon / 5 g vanilla bean paste
6 g / 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
210 g / 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
12 g / 1 tablespoon baking powder
1 g / ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
neutral oil, as needed for frying (such as canola, safflower, or vegetable)
powdered sugar, as needed for finishing
Make This Recipe With Me:
METHOD
1. Cover a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels as a landing pad for the beignets when they come out of the fryer.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the ricotta to loosen it slightly. Add the eggs and egg yolk and whisk well to combine. Add the sugar, vanilla bean seeds or paste, and orange zest and whisk until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk into the batter until it is uniformly combined. The batter can be used immediately, or covered and refrigerated overnight.
3. In a medium pot, heat 2-3 inch / 5-8 cm of oil over medium heat. You can either attach a deep fry/candy thermometer to the pot and heat it until it reads around 325°F / 165°C - or you can carefully check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use a small amount of batter to test the oil’s temperature - it should immediately sizzle and rise to the surface, then slowly begin to brown. (If it browns immediately, let the oil cool off before starting. If the batter doesn’t sizzle, keep heating and re-test with a new piece of batter.)
4. When the oil it hot, work in batches to drop the beignets into the pot. Drop tablespoons of dough into the hot oil (I use a small (#60) cookie scoop, but you can just use two spoons to drop the batter in). Fry the beignets, turning once or twice, until they begin to become golden brown on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
5. Use a slotted spoon or spider to lift the beignets out of the oil, tap a few times to drain well, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet to drain.
6. While they are still warm, sift powdered sugar generously over the beignets (or, you can toss them in the sugar to coat). Serve immediately, preferably warm.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
