My friend Morgan taught me how to make these puffy fried pastries when I was interviewing her for our Mardi Gras blog post several years ago. These light fritters are a traditional New Orleans-style dessert that can be enjoyed as a morning treat, mid-afternoon snack or as a sweet ending to dinner.

• 3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 envelope active dry yeast
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Nonstick spray
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners  sugar for sprinkling

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Add the egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the butter and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour. Add oil to a large, heavy pan and heat on medium (make sure to cover the entire bottom of pan with oil, about 1/2 inch.) Roll the dough out and cut into 1-inch squares. Add dough to oil and fry for about 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown and flip. Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then sift confectioners’ sugar over beignets. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Enjoy beignets with cafe au lait: steam milk and add to coffee.

Cheers – Crystal