Disneyland

Pumpkin Beignets from Café Orleans

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Pumpkin spice as far as the eye can see! Every coffee shop, chain restaurant and, of course, Disney Park gets in on the craze and people, literally, eat it up.

So, who are we to be any different?

Over the next couple of months, we’ll have a few pumpkin based Disney Dishes for you. Some that are more traditional. Others that might seem strange but are amazingly tasty. To kick it all off, we’re going to break you in slowly with a Disneyland Resort favorite. Here is our recipe for the Pumpkin Beignets from Café Orleans.

Let’s get carving!

The ingredients for our Pumpkin Beignets

Our Ingredients

The items we need for our Pumpkin Beignets, are pretty traditional. If you’ve made a pumpkin pie within the last year, you probably already have most of them.

Obviously, you will need Pumpkin Purée but you won’t need a lot of it. So, buy a small can and save the unused portion in the fridge for some of the other Disney Dishes we have coming for you.

Also, just like our Mickey Pretzels and the buns for our Cheeseburger Pods, this is a yeast dough. So, you will need to make sure you have at least one packet of those active little bread helpers for this recipe.

Kneading the dough for our Pumpkin Beignets

It’s the Pumpkin Spice of Life

In a large mixing bowl, add the Pumpkin Purée, Granulated Sugar, Unsalted Butter, Heavy Cream, Pure Vanilla Extract, and Eggs.

Then it’s time for the zip that makes all P.S. dishes fly. Of course, talking about the actual Pumpkin Spice. It, generally, consists of Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves and Ground Ginger. That’s exactly what you’ll add next. Whisk all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile, you’ll want to “activate” your yeast. You can give it its wake-up-call by adding the Yeast to the Warm Water and mixing lightly. Let sit for about 5 minutes until bubbles begin to form at the top. This signals your Yeast is awake and ready for action. You’ll then want to blend it in with the Pumpkin mixture.

Next, add the All-Purpose Flour and Salt to the Pumpkin mixture and stir until completely combined.

The kneaded dough for our Pumpkin Beignets

Baby, I Knead You!

Now, it’s time to work our dough. If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment it’s time to put it to work. Add the combined dough to the mixer and knead for approximately 5 minutes on medium speed until well- worked and mostly smooth.

If you don’t have an electric mixer, don’t worry. you can also knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes to achieve the same result.

Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let sit in a warm place for approximately 1 hour. It should just about double in size.

Rolling out the dough for our Pumpkin Beignets

Papa was a rolling dough!

Once your Pumpkin Beignet dough has risen, it’s time to, truly, get rolling!

Start by cutting the dough into two halves so it’s easier to work with. Turn the first half on to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to approximately 1/8″ thick.

If you want to make a more “traditional” style beignet, you’ll want to cut the dough into multiple squares.

However, this is Disney Dishes. So, where cutting them like they do in Disneyland. Yep! Mickey Style!

Cutting our Pumpkin Beignets

Using a Mickey Cookie Cutter, cut your beignets from the rolled dough. Set the separated, individual Pumpkin Beignets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining half of dough.

Our cut Pumpkin Beignets

The “scraps” remaining from the cut dough can be combined, rolled out once more and cut. You can also just fry them up as they are. They are just as tasty as the more perfectly shaped beignets. It is also a great base for a delicious bread pudding. However, that’s a Disney Dish for another time.

Frying our Pumpkin Beignets

It’s a fry-for-all!

Now that our Pumpkin Beignets are all cut to the shapes we want, it’s time to really get cooking.

Add the oil to whatever size pot your prefer until it is 2 to 3 inches deep and heat to 350ºF. Carefully add the cut beignets a few at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for approximately 1 minute or until it is golden brown on one side. Carefully turn the beignet over and cook for an additional minute.

I know I’ve told you many times about being careful with hot oil. However, there’s a reason for my warnings. When I was a chef, sure, I cut myself several times. It’s part of the business. That being said, I received many more injuries (that were a lot more painful) by burning myself. Oil was almost always the culprit behind them. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to scare you completely away from frying. I just want to reinforce that you should be careful with hot oil.

Our fried Pumpkin Beignets

Once the Pumpkin Beignets have cooked, carefully remove them from the oil and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. They are best served immediately with a heavy sprinkling of powdered sugar. Leftover beignets can be stored in a sealed container and microwaved for 30 seconds before serving.

Out plated Pumpkin Beignets

Our Conclusion

Our Pumpkin Beignets are a perfect Autumnal treat just like the little pouches of joy you’ve found at Café Orleans. They’re incredibly light and fluffy with just the right amount of light crispness on the surface. The pumpkin flavor is present but subtle and the powdered sugar adds a nice (if a little messy) balance of sweetness to the savory aspects of the pastry.

Make this Disney Dish today and kick off “Pumpkin Spice Season” in style!

This recipe is the traditional version of how to serve beignets and it is definitely delicious. However, I believe there are other tasty ways you can jazz up this dish. As you can see in the photo below, I went ahead and tossed several of my beignets in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. It was an excellent way of adding more “zip” to the finished pastry. You could, certainly, also take advantage of the lightness of the pastry and add a filling of your choice (cream cheese or vanilla pastry cream immediately come to mind) to the large “pockets” that form within it. Experiment and have fun. It’s what cooking is all about!

Our Pumpkin Beignets with and alternate topping; Cinnamon-Sugar

If you have any questions about this or any of our recipes, just hit us up below in the comments. You can also reach us through our Contact Us page or through email.

Pumpkin Beignets from Café Orleans

Makes Approximately 30 Mickey Beignets

Ingeredients

5 oz – Pumpkin Purée
1/4 cup – Granulated Sugar
2 1/2 oz – Heavy Cream
3 – Large Eggs
2 tbls – Unsalted Butter – Room Temperature
2 tsps – Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp – Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp – Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp – Ground Ginger
5 cups – All-Purpose Flour
1/8 tsp – Salt
1/4 cup – Warm Water
1/2 tsp – Active Dry Yeast
Vegetable Oil – For Frying
Powdered Sugar – For Serving

Instructions

Add the Pumpkin Purée, Granulated Sugar, Heavy Cream, Eggs, Unsalted Butter, and Pure Vanilla Extract to a large bowl and whisk to combine
Next, add the Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves and Ground Ginger to the Pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.
Activate the Active Dry Yeast by adding it to the Warm Water and lightly mixing. Let stand for approximately 5 minutes until bubbles begin to for on the top
Add the Yeast and Water to the Pumpkin mixture and combine
Then, add the All-Purpose Flour and Salt to the Pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined
Knead the dough using an electric mixer with a dough hook for approximately 5 minutes or by hand for approximately 10 minutes. The dough should be mostly smooth
Place the kneaded dough into an oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm location until the dough has approximately doubled in size; about 1 hour
Punch down the risen dough and cut into 2 halves. Roll out each half to approximately 1/8″ thick and cut into desired shapes
Add oil to a medium to large sized pot until it is 2 – 3 inches deep. Heat to 350ºF
Add the cut beignets a few at a time to the heated oil. Cook on the first side until golden brown; approximately 1 minute. Turn over and cook for an additional minute
Remove from the oil to a baking sheet lined with paper towels
Liberally sprinkle with Powdered Sugar and serve immediately