We were in New Orleans last month and, of course, visited Cafe du Monde. This place is truly world famous for their beignets and Cafe au Laits. This recipe is done in the oven so you have less fat, less icing sugar. (If you have eaten at Cafe du Monde, you know of which I speak….) and the Cafe au Lait is the dipping sauce.
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 pkg. quick rising dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp. cold butter, cut up
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top along with 1 tsp. sugar. Stir and let stand until its gets foamy. This should take about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into this until it looks like crumbs.
With a fork, stir in the buttermilk and egg until blended. Like making muffins, make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms.On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough a few times until it becomes a smooth dough.
Using the same bowl, spray with Pam and place the dough in, cover with plastic and let sit for about 10 minutes. Spray two large cookie sheets with Pam. Punch down the dough and roll out into a 9 inch square on a floured surface and cut into 6 strips and then cut each strip into 6 pieces. Place them on the cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap that you have sprayed with Pam. Let rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (if using convection oven, rotate the trays halfway through the baking time). Serve warm with a slight sprinkle of icing sugar.
Cafe au Lait Dip
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. instant espresso pweder
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 oz. bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
In a medium size saucepan, whisk together the sugar, espresso and cornstarch. Add the milk and cook for about 7-8 minutes until it comes to the boil and thickens a little. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Serve warm in a bowl for dipping in the warm beignets.
OMG! Any chocolate lovers…..this is for you. You love donuts? These are better than.
YUMMY!
