Candy Cane Beignets are a classic Disneyland treat! Fresh, warm, and delicious- these are the perfect holiday treat!
Found at the Mint Julep Bar at Café Orleans (where you can also get this tasty Cranberry Mint Julep!) in Disneyland you can buy these tasty treats for $4.99 for 3 or $8.49 for six, same as the tasty Hot Cocoa Beignets.
Topped with a tasty candy cane powdered sugar these are such a great dessert! This recipe is a variation of my favorite Disneyland Copycat Beignet Recipe!
Now you can make these tasty treats at home with this easy recipe!
If you like this recipe make sure to check out my peppermint cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, and my holiday popcorn!
For more tasty copycat treats:
How to make beignets:
- Activate yeast
- Mix dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes
- Roll out dough then cut into shapes
- Allow shapes to rise for 1 ½ hours
- Fry until golden brown
- Dust with hot cocoa powder and serve with chocolate sauce and marshmallow whipped cream!
How to make candy cane powdered topping:
- Crush candy canes either in a baggie with rolling pin or in a food processor.
- Mix the crushed candy canes with the powdered sugar.
- Then sprinkle over the warm beignets!
What cookie cutter did I use?
I used this Mickey Shaped Cookie Cutter (amazon affiliate link). I like the size and how sturdy this cutter is.
What if you don't have a mickey cookie cutter?
If you don't have a cookie cutter just cut the dough into rectangles- about 2 ½ inches by 3 inches. Then fry those up!
Temperature? How important is it?
Temperature of the water for activating the yeast needs to be between 105°F and 110°F is important. Too hot and it will kill the yeast and you won’t get a rise, too cold and you won’t activate the yeast you won’t get a rise.
If you don’t have a thermometer to check the water temp you can tell if the yeast is activated if the mixture gets very foamy after 10 minutes.
The oil for frying needs to be at 350°F for ideal beignets. Too hot and they will brown too fast (see beignet on the right in the picture below) and not cook all the way through, or will get too dark and overcooked on the outside. Too cold and the beignets will end up too greasy.
I love this thermometer from Thermoworks and is the one you see me use in the video (affiliate link).
Candy Cane Beignets tips:
- Activate yeast with warm water and sugar- but make sure the water is between 105°F and 110°F. If the water is too hot you will kill the yeast and if it’s too cold you won’t activate it.
- To tell if the yeast is working properly, let it sit for ~10 minutes after adding the warm water and sugar and it should be foamy/bubbly (see picture)
- I like to fold the dough in on itself after it rests for 30 minutes to get a nice smooth surface. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it will make for a smoother and more uniform beignet after frying.
- Make sure your cut out dough rise in a warm place. If your house is cold simply preheat your oven to the lowest temperature (mine goes as low as 170°F for example), then once preheated turn our oven off and place your cut out beignets in the oven to rise. This is what I did since my house is pretty cold.
- When frying, keep your oil around 350°F. If it gets too much hotter it will cook the beignets too fast and if gets too much cooler it will take too long to cook the beignets and they will get too greasy.
- Fry your beignets for 15-30 seconds a side- until they are golden brown.
- Beignets are best when eaten fresh and warm.
What is your favorite treat at Disneyland? Let me know in the comments below!
Watch how to make this recipe!
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Candy Cane Beignets
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoon dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup warm water 105°
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup boiling water
- Vegetable oil for frying
Candy Cane Powdered Topping
- 1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
- 6 Peppermint Candy Canes crushed
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. Make sure the water is no hotter than 110°F or else you will kill the yeast. Let the mixture sit for ~10 minutes, the mixture should get bubbly and foam will appear- this is a sign the yeast is working!2 ¼ teaspoon dry yeast, 2 teaspoon sugar, ¼ cup warm water
- In the bowl of stand mixer (or you can use an electric hand mixer) with the paddle attachment combine the sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water. Once combined mix in the yeast mixture.¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, 4 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup boiling water
- Using the dough hook attachment mix on medium speed, mix the dough until just combined. Cover with a light towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove dough to a clean surface and roll to ¼-inch thickness. I like to roll out the dough to a small rectangle then fold it in half, then half again. This will create a smooth surface. Then roll out to a ¼ of an inch thickness.
- Cut beignets either into 2 ½ to 3-inch squares or with a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter.
- Lightly cover cut dough with a towel and let dough rise in a warm area for 1 ½ hours. They will grow taller but they don’t spread too much.
- While rising make the candy cane powdered topping.
- Fill a large pot fill with 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350°F over medium-high heat.Vegetable oil for frying
- Fry beignets until golden brown for 30-45 seconds each side, flipping over each beignet as soon as they brown on the first side. Once golden brown on both sides carefully remove each beignet with tongs and place on paper towels to soak up extra grease.
- While beignets are still warm sprinkle with the candy cane powdered topping.
Candy Cane Powdered Toping
- Crush candy canes and mix with powdered sugar. I recommend crushing them very fine- to do this I recommend using a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor place the candy canes in a Ziploc baggie and then use a rolling pin or something heavy to smash the candy canes into small pieces.1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar, 6 Peppermint Candy Canes
Notes
- If your house is cold simply preheat your oven to the lowest temperature, for example my oven’s lowest temperature is 170°F. Once preheated turn oven off and put the cut-out beignets inside and allow to rise. With the oven off it stay warm but won’t be too hot for the dough.
- The original beignet recipe found on the Disney Parks site worked ok but I found that adding a little more yeast and sugar to the yeast mixture really helped with a better rise.
- Nutritional info does not include oil used for frying.
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