I recently traveled to New Orleans for work. I spoke at FinCon (a conference for financial bloggers) about social media tools.
I was pleasantly surprised on my trip to New Orleans how much I loved it.
Many years ago (back when Mr. Whalen and I were dating) we went to Mardi Gras with a group of friends. Let me just say that going to Mardi Gras when you’re underage and you don’t drink is maybe not the best idea. The highlight of that trip for me was wandering into some of the historic areas, and seeing Harry Connick Jr. glide by singing on a float. #swoon
So you might say I was a bit wary. Suggestions for my trip were many, but most including a trip to the iconic Cafe Du Monde, home of the beignet aka french doughnuts.
I managed to find pockets of time to explore the city (holy humidity, by the way). I’ll share a few of my favorite places soon, but I heeded everyone’s advice and went to Cafe Du Monde to take in the beignets and coffee. I enjoyed an iced coffee (they make it with chicory and it’s AMAZING) and watched everyone else indulge in the beignets. (gluten free beignets are NOT on the menu) 😉
The place was packed and lines were long so after sipping on my coffee for a bit I discovered there was a company store just down the street. Thankfully, it was practically empty so I was able to (cool off) peruse and had the bright idea to bring home beignet mix for my 10 year old, Audrey, who loves to bake.
Not exactly a typical souvenir, but the perfect one for her! She loves to bake and I knew she’d love these.
You can purchase beignet mix from Amazon or buy it online from Cafe Du Monde.
Click her to buy Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix
How to Make Beignets (aka french doughnuts) at Home:
It’s simple! Buy the mix. No really. You’ll follow the instructions, but here is how we did it.
- Mix water with the beignet mix and stir. The mixture will be a little ‘wet’ for dough, so you’ll use liberal amounts of flour to roll out the dough.
- Using a pastry scraper or knife cut into squares.
- Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a pot (on a medium-high heat). We used canola oil.
- When it’s hot you’ll add a square of dough and they’ll ‘pop’ and float to the surface. Keep an an eye and make sure you bast or flip them so both sides get done evenly. We found flipping them to be easier.
- Once they’re golden brown use a slotted spoon to pull them out and place on paper towels to drain.
- Top with copious amounts of confectioner’s sugar. HEAP it on.
Enjoy!
Kelly
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My husband and I had one of our most favorite vacations in New Orleans many years ago. We had beignets & coffee at Cafe Du Monde every morning we were in the city. We ate pretty well for lunch and dinner too! Fun city.
Ha! I know many people who did the same. I can’t eat them but I did really enjoy their coffee.