Homemade New Orleans Chocolate Beignets: A Decadent Recipe Better Than Popeyes!
Prepare to tantalize your taste buds with these incredible New Orleans style chocolate beignets! This recipe delivers light, fluffy, chocolate-filled pastries that are so delightful, you’ll find them superior to even the much-loved Popeyes version – and they’re surprisingly easy to make right in your own kitchen! If you adore the rich, comforting taste of chocolate, you’re in for a real treat. And for more chocolatey goodness, don’t miss my Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, my Cinnamon Toast Crunch Popcorn Recipe, and my Chocolate Walnut Brownies!
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Indulge in New Orleans Style Chocolate Beignets
If you’re a connoisseur of New Orleans Creole cuisine, the classic beignet is likely a familiar and cherished treat. But if you’re also a chocolate enthusiast, prepare to fall head over heels for these incredible chocolate beignets! Imagine light, airy, yeast-puffed pastries, perfectly deep-fried to a golden crisp, then generously filled with rich chocolate and blanketed under a snowdrift of powdered sugar. The best part? They’re much simpler to make than you might expect, bringing the iconic flavors of the French Quarter right into your home.
These delightful chocolate-filled pastries are not just a dessert; they’re a celebration. They pair perfectly as a sweet finish after a savory meal like my New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, or they can be enjoyed as a decadent breakfast or brunch item alongside a warm latte. For those who can never get enough chocolate, be sure to also try my Matilda’s Chocolate Cake, my Hot Chocolate Mug Cake, and my Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting!
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Understanding Beignet Dough: The Secret to Their Perfect Texture
At the heart of every exquisite New Orleans-style beignet lies an enriched yeasted dough. This special dough is what gives these pastries their signature lightness, combined with a satisfyingly chewy and buttery texture, and that distinctive puffed-up, airy interior. Unlike many other fried dough treats, the yeasted dough provides a unique depth of flavor and structure. It undergoes a crucial rising process, allowing the dough to develop its characteristic air pockets that expand beautifully when fried.
While New Orleans beignets are famous for this yeasted preparation, it’s worth noting that other beignet variations exist. For instance, traditional French beignets might be crafted from a pâte à choux, which is the same delicate pastry dough used for cream puffs and éclairs. This difference in dough type results in a distinct texture: pâte à choux beignets tend to be hollow and crisp, whereas their New Orleans cousins boast a more substantial, yet still incredibly light, pillowy interior. Our chocolate beignets recipe embraces the rich, comforting tradition of the New Orleans enriched yeasted dough, ensuring that classic taste and feel.
Celebrating Culinary Heritage: Black History Month Virtual Potluck 2023
In 2023, the Black History Month theme, “Black Resistance,” beautifully highlights the incredible and often overlooked resilience of our ancestors. This year, Eat the Culture pays homage to the profound resistance involved in preserving and transporting culinary traditions across the Atlantic. These foodways played a crucial role in shaping the vibrant Black cuisine we cherish today.
Our ancestors physically and mentally carried invaluable African food traditions through the horrific Middle Passage, ensuring their survival and passing them down through generations. The Black History Month Virtual Potluck 2023 meticulously traces popular dishes of the African Diaspora, from their West African origins to North America and beyond. This initiative offers a powerful reminder of how food is a testament to cultural identity and enduring heritage.
We encourage you to share these meaningful recipes with your friends and loved ones. You can follow each participant’s journey and contributions by using the hashtag #BHMVP2023 on Instagram. For the complete list of all the inspiring recipes from this year’s collaboration, visit the Eat the Culture website. It’s an opportunity to connect with history through the universal language of food.
The Rich Cultural Tapestry: What Nationality Are Beignets?
Despite their French name, New Orleans-style beignets are a delicious testament to the rich tapestry of cultural influences that define Creole cuisine. Much like the vibrant city of New Orleans itself, these iconic fried pastries are a beautiful fusion, shaped significantly by African food traditions alongside European and American Indigenous influences. This culinary heritage speaks volumes about resilience and adaptation, transforming simple ingredients into something truly extraordinary.
These chocolate beignets, in particular, draw inspiration from puff puff, a widely beloved West African snack food characterized by its lightly sweetened fried dough. The journey of these African foodways across the Atlantic, surviving the Middle Passage, saw them take root in Caribbean islands and the Gulf States of the USA, evolving into new forms while retaining their essence. To truly appreciate this profound food tradition, I highly encourage you to explore its story further. Learn to make West African Puff Puff and Puerto Rican Barriguitas de Vieja. Understanding these ancestral connections enriches the experience of enjoying dishes like our beignets. And for a savory taste of West Africa, don’t hesitate to try this flavorful Moin Moin recipe!
Key Ingredients for Perfect Chocolate Beignets
Crafting these delectable New Orleans chocolate beignets requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that signature light, airy, and rich flavor profile. While the detailed list with precise measurements is provided in the recipe card below, here’s a closer look at the essential components you’ll need to bring these irresistible pastries to life:
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our dough. For consistent results, I always recommend measuring your flour by weight or by using the spoon and level method to avoid a dense dough.
- Instant Yeast: This is my preferred choice for convenience, as instant yeast speeds up the proofing process and eliminates the need to “bloom” the yeast in liquid beforehand.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a touch of sugar in the dough provides the perfect balance of sweetness, complementing the rich chocolate filling without overpowering it.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is crucial for enhancing all the other flavors in the dough, bringing a savory depth to the sweet profile.
- Egg: Ensure your egg is at room temperature before adding it to the mixture. This helps it incorporate smoothly and prevents it from cooling down the dough, which could hinder yeast activation.
- Evaporated Milk: This high-protein milk is a secret weapon, contributing a wonderfully rich flavor and a tender, moist texture to the finished chocolate beignets.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: For an intensely aromatic and deep vanilla flavor, I love using vanilla bean paste. However, your favorite vanilla extract works beautifully too.
- Vegetable Oil: Essential for deep frying. Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola oil, sunflower oil, or grapeseed oil, to ensure your beignets fry evenly and without any off-flavors.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: For a classic, indulgent filling, Nutella is fantastic. If you prefer a pure chocolate experience, you can easily whip up a simple two-ingredient chocolate ganache (instructions below!).
- Powdered Sugar: Absolutely non-negotiable! A generous dusting of powdered sugar is the iconic finish for any beignet – the more, the better for that authentic New Orleans look and taste!
Step-by-Step Instructions: Crafting Your Chocolate Beignets
Making these decadent chocolate-filled beignets is a rewarding process, and I’ve broken down each step to ensure your success. You’ll find the full, detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the key stages to guide you through this delightful baking adventure:
Begin by combining all your dry ingredients – flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, and salt – in a spacious bowl. A quick whisk ensures they are thoroughly mixed and evenly distributed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: the room temperature egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Using a spatula, fold them together until just combined. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little extra flour (see note in the recipe card).
Knead the dough, either with the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand. Continue kneading until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and starts to pull cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, typically about 5 minutes.
Transfer the kneaded dough to a separate, lightly greased bowl. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for approximately 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. This crucial step develops the beignets’ airy texture.
Once risen, gently punch down the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ½ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the dough into uniform rectangles, ready for frying.
Heat about 4 inches of neutral oil in a Dutch oven or deep pot to a precise 360°F (182°C). Fry the beignets in batches, turning them until they are a beautiful deep golden brown on both sides and wonderfully puffed up. Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a wire rack set over paper towels.
Once slightly cooled, use a pastry bag fitted with a cream puff tip to pipe the rich chocolate hazelnut spread into the soft center of each deep-fried pastry. Finish with an extravagant dusting of powdered sugar and serve immediately for the best experience!
Hint: For easy and clean filling, use a cream puff tip with your pastry bag when piping Nutella or ganache into your beignets!
Essential Equipment for Beignet Making
Having the right tools can make all the difference in ensuring your chocolate beignet-making process is smooth and enjoyable. Beyond your pastry bag and tips for filling, here are a few pieces of equipment that will be incredibly helpful:
- A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook will make kneading the dough effortless, saving you time and arm strength. Of course, you can achieve great results by kneading by hand, but a mixer offers convenience.
- To roll out your dough evenly and efficiently, consider using a nonstick pastry mat and a reliable rolling pin. These tools ensure the dough doesn’t stick and helps you achieve the perfect ½-inch thickness.
- For deep frying, a heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven is ideal. Its even heat distribution helps maintain a consistent oil temperature, which is crucial for perfectly cooked beignets.
- Perhaps the most critical piece of equipment for frying is a cooking thermometer. Maintaining the oil at precisely 360°F is key to preventing soggy or burnt beignets. I personally love this thermometer because it features a handy alarm that notifies you once the ideal temperature is reached, ensuring perfect frying conditions every time.
Decadent Chocolate Ganache Filling & Other Chocolate Delights
While the combination of chocolate and hazelnut from Nutella is a popular choice for these beignets, you’re not limited! If you prefer a pure, intense chocolate flavor, creating an easy chocolate ganache for your filling is a fantastic option. Simply heat 1 cup of heavy cream until it’s steaming hot, then pour it over 2 cups of your preferred milk or dark chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate chips to fully melt. Afterward, whisk vigorously until the ganache is smooth and glossy. If it needs a little extra help melting, microwave it in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until perfectly smooth. Allow this decadent mixture to cool to room temperature before piping it into your freshly fried beignets!
Alternatively, for a rich and creamy interior, you could whip up a batch of my indulgent Chocolate Fudge Frosting and use that as a delicious filling. For those who simply can’t get enough chocolate, I have even more recipes to satisfy your cravings: try my Mini Egg Brownies, my Dairy Free Brownies, or my Matcha Brownies and 2 Bite Brownies!
Understanding Chocolate Beignet Nutrition (Calories)
When indulging in these delightful chocolate versions of the classic New Orleans-style pastry, it’s good to know the basic nutritional breakdown. Each beignet, before adding any filling or the generous dusting of powdered sugar, contains approximately 118 calories. Keep in mind that the filling and sugar will add to this count, so enjoy in moderation!
Chocolate Beignets – How to Pronounce?
Mastering the pronunciation of “beignet” adds to the authentic experience of enjoying this French-inspired treat. You pronounce the French word beignet with a silent “T” and a strong emphasis on the second syllable, sounding like “ben-yay.” When referring to multiple pastries, in the plural, you actually do pronounce the “S,” making it sound like “ben-yaze.“
Storage Tips for Freshness
Much like my Peach Cobbler Egg Rolls, these Nutella-filled beignets are truly at their peak when freshly made and still warm. The delicate, light texture of the fried dough is best enjoyed right after frying. As they cool, beignets tend to lose some of their characteristic crispness and airy quality. Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend enjoying them immediately for the most authentic and delicious experience. While you *can* reheat them briefly in an oven or air fryer, they will never quite recapture that fresh-from-the-fryer magic.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Beignets
While very similar, both being fried dough pastries made with yeast, beignets and donuts do have distinctions. Beignets, particularly the New Orleans variety, tend to be lighter and more famously puffed up, often featuring a slightly richer dough texture compared to a typical donut.
These homemade chocolate beignets offer a delightful sensory experience. The dough itself boasts a rich, buttery vanilla bean flavor that’s subtly sweet, providing the perfect canvas for the luscious, gooey chocolate hazelnut filling within. It’s a harmonious blend of tender fried dough and decadent chocolate.
Yes, this specific recipe for chocolate beignets uses one large egg as an integral ingredient. The egg contributes to the richness, structure, and binding of the dough. If you have dietary restrictions, you can certainly experiment with an egg replacer or a flax egg as an alternative.
The exact origins of beignets are somewhat hazy, given that various cultures across the globe have their own versions of fried dough. The name “Beignet” itself, a French word for “fried dough,” has Celtic roots, suggesting a European influence. However, the specific New Orleans beignet we know today was undoubtedly shaped by a unique blend of European, African, and American Indigenous culinary traditions, giving rise to the distinctive Creole cuisine.
Popeyes’ chocolate beignets, often offered for a limited time, can indeed satisfy a craving if you’re looking for something reminiscent of the famous New Orleans staple but can’t make it to iconic spots like Cafe du Monde. However, if you truly desire that authentic, melt-in-your-mouth texture and unparalleled freshness at home, then preparing this homemade recipe is the best way to achieve that superior experience!
For the ultimate experience, beignets are best enjoyed hot and freshly fried, allowing them to cool just enough to drain any excess oil. This ensures their signature light, airy texture and warm, comforting flavor. They are not typically eaten cold.
Both! Beignets are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed at any time of day. Many love them as a delightful breakfast treat, especially when paired with an iced shaken espresso. They also make a fantastic afternoon snack, a special brunch item during the holiday season (much like my Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake), or a perfect dessert. There’s no wrong time to enjoy a beignet!
Top Tip for Frying Success
The key to light, perfectly golden beignets is maintaining the correct oil temperature. Be sure to heat your frying oil all the way to 360°F (182°C) before carefully dropping in your beignets! Using a reliable meat or candy thermometer is essential for accuracy.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Beignets – New Orleans Style Filled Treats
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Equipment you may need
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measuring cups and spoons
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mixing bowls
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whisk
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rubber spatula
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food scale
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stand mixer
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cooling rack
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nonstick pastry mat
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rolling pin
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pastry bag and tips
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pizza cutter
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cooking thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour – plus more if needed, see note
- 2 ¼ teaspoon (27 g) instant yeast – one packet
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 large egg – room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (320 g) evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) vanilla bean paste
- Vegetable oil – for deep frying
- Chocolate hazelnut spread – for filling
- Powdered sugar – for dusting
Instructions
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In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.1 large egg, 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk, 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
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Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together until combined.
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Use the dough hook attachment of the stand mixer (or a dough hook) to mix until a dough forms.
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Knead dough with dough hook or by hand until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
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Turn out into a separate greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
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Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin until it’s about ½ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into rectangles.
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Heat oil to 360°F(182°C) and fry beignets for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and puffed up. Remove to a wire rack to drain excess oil.Vegetable oil
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Use a pastry tip to pipe chocolate hazelnut spread through the side and into the center of each square and dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.Chocolate hazelnut spread, Powdered sugar
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
