Beignets With Orange-Flavored Sugar for Mardi Gras
Chef Sunny Anderson calls these her fake-out beignets—because hello, store-bought dough!
Pro Tip: For the colored sugar, you can either buy it already tinted (this pack comes with purple, yellow and green) or grab a box of food coloring to color your own sugar.
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 cups sugar (in various colors such as purple, yellow and green)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 container store-bought buttermilk biscuit dough (for 8 large biscuits)
- ½ cup agave, or honey thinned with water
Place oil in a deep pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the pan. Heat to 350°F.
Place orange zest, sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or plate, and stir to combine; set aside.
Cut biscuits into quarters and roll into balls to form 32 donut holes. Working in batches, place donut holes in the hot oil and fry until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the hot donuts to a paper towel to drain.
In a shallow bowl or plate, roll the warm donuts in the agave or thinned out honey. Toss in spiced colored sugar and serve immediately.