Mickey Mouse Beignets

For Christmas, my friend bought me a Delicious Disney Desserts cookbook (it doesn’t seem to be widely available; I think you have to get it at a Disney park, through another vendor like the link, or on eBay).

One of the recipes was for Mickey Mouse beignets. Of course, since we had just gotten back from east Texas, where the food is SOOOO light and we did not eat anything caloric at all, no sirree, I had to make these on Monday.

My friend also gave me a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter, which you’ll need. You should also wear an apron.

It was my first attempt at donuts or beignets or anything fried like this. The one thing I don’t like about such things (actually, okay, two things) are:

You have to wait for dough to rise.
You have to roll it out and cut it.

So many steps! So much time! So much flour all over the counter! Plus, historically things I have cut out of dough don’t turn out terribly well, thus I was a little bit apprehensive.

Here’s the recipe from the cookbook.

I don’t have a big mixer with dough hooks, so I first stirred with a wooden spoon and then with my hands. Hands work.

Also, before you start make sure you have one of those HUGE jugs of cooking oil on hand; 3 inches is a lot. I used my big heavy pan, and I could only fry two or three at a time.

I saved my oil to use for more donuts later, in clean jars, because that’s how my mother did it.

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105˚)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup boiling water

vegetable oil for frying

powdered sugar

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the dough just until combined and smooth. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.

3. Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut individual beignets with a Mickey Mouse shaped cutter or cut into 2 1/2 to 3 inch squares. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350˚ F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turing as soon as they brown on one side. Remove with tongs and place on paper towels to drain. Dust warm beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

This makes 10 large Mickey Mouse shaped fritters or 2 dozen small fritters.

*I got 12 Mickey fritters and some random small pieces which I still fried up and ate.

Here are the cut-out beignets waiting for 1.5 hours to rise.

Cadillac was in charge of the powdered sugar. He does not skimp.

They were delicious! And they must all be eaten right away, so make sure you’re not home alone or you’ll find yourself eating a dozen beignets.

4 responses to “Mickey Mouse Beignets”

Katherine Owen – Author

January 19, 2012 at 1:32 pm

Hey! I think you are brave for doing this. I would have a problem with waiting for the dough to rise, the flour on the counter, and deep frying. Kudos to you for taking all of that on. They do look delicious. : )

SmurfyGirl

January 19, 2012 at 2:21 pm

Ohhhh, those look sooo good!

Honey

January 19, 2012 at 3:04 pm

Your advice to not be home alone made me laugh! Too true, too true.

Barbara Whittington

January 22, 2012 at 1:55 pm

OMG I will make sure when I make them I am home ALONE. They look so delicious.
I am not to be trusted with any sweets at all in the house. Plus I have stomach challenges.

Oh, I am putting my novel VADA FAITH on Kindle at Amazon in the next few weeks. I’m tired of waiting for a publisher. Besides rejections are so piled in my house we barely have room to live, no joke. Somehow I can’t throw them away. Not until I actually publish. Then I have to write them back and say, “See, I did it.”
Off here to find something sweet to eat.

MARGARET DILLOWAY