Blueberry Almond Poppyseed Beignets

Whether you're celebrating Mardi Gras, or simply need some fried dough and powdered sugar in yo' face, stat, these beautiful little lazygirl beignets are life. Made from a mound of ready-to-go refrigerated pizza dough, spiked with poppyseeds, lemon zest, cardamom, then topped with amaretto-blueberry syrup--and powdered sugar, of course--you'll be eating these babies just 15 minutes from now. So easy. Super da most splendid.

If you're feeling wild and fancy-free, skip the poppyseeds and toss in chia. I tried this recipe with both, and both work splendidly.

Or nix the seeds alltogether. That's okay, too. But don't they make such divine little freckles, all up in there?

For the base, I hit the refrigerated deli section of Whole Foods and grabbed a bag of $3 pizza dough. You could also use Pillsbury pizza dough. Or frozen roll dough. 

Or, by golly, if you're wild and craycray, make your own homemade. 

You are a better woman than I.

Regardless the dough you choose to use, the one thing we can all get behind in the required 9 pounds of powdered sugar. It's really the part that makes these little splendors so splendorous. 

So grab an extra big cart at the grocers, buy one bag of pizza dough and 89 bags of powdered sugar. Then fry it up and call it a day.

A Beignet Day.

The best kind of day there ever was.

Blueberry Almond Poppyseed Beignets

6-8 servings | 15-20 minutes

• 15 oz coconut oil, for frying
• 1 round refrigerated pizza dough (I used Whole Foods)
• 1 Meyer Lemon or blood orange, juiced and zested
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds (or chia)
• 1/3 cup amaretto (or 1/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp pure almond extract)
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 pint blueberries

In a large skillet, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lemon zest, cardamom and poppy seeds  on dough, flatten with a rolling pin between two pieces of parchment, until 1/4" thick. Cut into 2" squares with a pizza cutter. Fry in hot oil, until golden brown. Transfer to a serving plate.

In a microwave-safe bowl, stir together amaretto and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Fold in blueberries. Microwave for 60 seconds, or just until blueberries begin to soften and some begin to pop. Drizzle over hot beignets. Sprinkle mounds of powdered sugar up top. Serve and enjoy.