I tried making Disney’s famous Mickey beignets twice this week with my sister and they turned out pretty cute. There are pros and cons to both tries though. For my first time, they were just okay; I found them to be a little dense and not as fluffy as I would like them to be. The dough was stiffer and dense (which should have been my first indication), and because of that they were easier to cut into the Mickey shapes and place on the tray to rise. They were easier to cook and retain its shape for the finished product. The second time I tried, the dough was much nicer and fluffier but because it was more fluid and not as hard, I had to be careful when cutting my shapes and transferring them to my trays to rest them on. It was harder to maintain the final shape during cooking too. The second time, they definitely tasted better and beignet-like, but they were not as easy to get to the final product. Now I know why not all Mickey beignets at Disney World are the perfect Mickey shape and why sometimes the ears look a little off/misshapen. They start out perfect but the end result is a little trickier depending on how the batch of dough comes out. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly and the second time, I tweaked some things around (i.e. added a little more yeast because I didn’t find the dough to rise much the first time, and changed from all purpose white flour to a different baking mix.) I’m hoping with time and practice, I can perfect my method and make them better.

I followed Disney’s beignet recipe they posted recently, using this Mickey cookie cutter I got off Amazon. Originally I was afraid the cookie cutter was too small when it arrived in the mail, as the original beignets in Disney World are a little bigger, but I worked with it anyway and actually found this smaller cutter to be perfect. I always share my beignets in Disney World with my husband or family because of how big they are, but now the beignets are perfectly bite sized and don’t feel as overwhelming to eat with the smaller size. Using this cookie cutter, I found the recipe to make 35-37 beignets depending on how thick or thin you roll out your dough to cut the Mickey shapes. I also re-rolled the scraps to make more beignets, to waste as little dough as possible. I also sprinkled powder sugar on top using a sifter strainer I had in my house since I didn’t have a flour sifter or powdered sugar canister. It works the same way. For my husband, we mixed cinnamon and cane sugar together to make a mix for a cinnamon sugar beignets. If you have time, you can also make a glaze for your beignets and decorate with sprinkles on top. Or even top with chocolate. Go crazy. I added ice cream, whipped cream and fruit.

I also found the first time to be very time consuming but the second try went faster and easier. I’m hoping to make this second nature so I can make them whenever I feel like and by memory like most of my favorite dishes. I just feel bad when people ask me for a recipe of what I make and I don’t really cook by recipe unless it’s something new I’m trying. Most things I cook, I just eyeball everything from memory and season to taste. But that’s the fun of cooking when you get the hang of a dish you like. I’m hoping to get a nice size pot later this year and try my hand at some Vietnamese soups and other dishes. It’s one of my goals to work on learning more Vietnamese dishes before 40 and I’d really like to get on it and no better time than quarantine to start and learn, right?

Overall, I found this recipe easy to follow and fun to try out. The hardest part was probably just finding the yeast since it’s sold out everywhere since the entire nation decided they wanted to take up baking during quarantine. Luckily, my mom who is an avid cooker/baker to begin with, had some extra and gave me a small container of it so I could try this out. If you guys try this out, let me know how it goes! I would love to see if you try anything different and what your results are.

Disney’s official Beignet Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

• 1/4 cup warm water (105°)

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 egg

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• Vegetable oil for frying

• Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the dough just until combined and smooth. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.

3. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut individual beignets with a Mickey Mouse-shaped cutter or cut into 2 1/2 to 3-inch squares. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

4. Using caution, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side. Remove with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.  Dust warm beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Note: This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version. As a reminder while preparing this recipe, please supervise children who are helping or nearby.