French Market Beignet

3
Points®
Total Time
30 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
16
Difficulty
Moderate
Make your coffee break more pleasurable with a beignet, the sugar-dusted biscuits of New Orleans' famed French Market.This baked version has a delicious and crisp cinnamon-sugar shell, so you can indulge practically guilt-free. Sour cream and applesauce combine to keep this beignet dough soft and fluffy as it bakes. It will be sticky when you turn it out, but don't be tempted to add too much flour to the board when shaping these treats or they'll stiffen. Beignets are best served right out of the oven, so gather your crowd around to enjoy these puffs of hot, sweet bread just as soon as they're golden and ready.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour

1½ cup(s)

Baking powder

1½ tsp

Baking soda

½ tsp

Table salt

½ tsp

Sugar

¼ cup(s), divided

Unsweetened applesauce

4 oz

Fat free sour cream

½ cup(s)

Margarine

1 Tbsp, melted

Vinegar

1 tsp, cider

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and two tablespoons of sugar.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together applesauce, sour cream, margarine and vinegar. Stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture. Knead briefly, just until dough comes together. It may be sticky. Turn out onto lightly floured board.
  4. Pat into an 8-inch square, 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 16 squares. On a plate, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Lightly dip beignets into cinnamon-sugar on both sides.
  5. Place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Yields one per serving.