Okay. That might not be the best picture and these might not be pretty and round but man oh man were these things good! G-E-W-D, good!
So you know when you are walking through your kitchen and you see...out of the corner of your eye...your bananas have turned! Oh no!!! You quickly start going through your mind as to what you can make. Banana bread, banana muffins, banana ice cream. Yes!
Then you start looking through recipes. Wait, I need 3 bananas?? But I only have 1! What do I do now??
I'll tell you what you do with one overly ripe banana...you make these banana beignets, that's what!
I picked up the September 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine and at the very back they have these little "secret ingredient contests." Each month they tell you what to cook with and this month's winner was Jacqueline McComas with her mini banana beignets.
I quickly set out to make these little pockets of banana heaven to rescue my lone overripe banana from meeting a dark fate with the trash can. Instead, said banana sat happily in my belly as a fried dough puff. I mean, isn't that the way you would like to leave this world if you were a banana??
So let's get to cookin!
You will need: sugar, cinnamon, vegetable oil, salt, cake flour, baking powder, whole milk, an egg, banana extract (optional) and just one overripe banana.
You want to start by placing about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet and setting a thermometer in it. It will heat as we do the other steps.
Now go ahead and whisk together your flour, baking powder, salt, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of your cinnamon.
Take your banana and put it in a separate bowl. With the back of a spoon start mashing him up.
Until he's good and smushed.
Now add to the smashed banana your milk, veggie oil, egg and banana extract (if you are using it) and whisk everything together until it's as smooth as possible.
In a small shallow bowl, mix up the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of sugar and set it aside. We won't need this until the end but everything goes fast then and we need it ready.
Next you are going to pour your banana mixture in with your dry ingredients.
And whisk until just combined.
By now your oil should have reached 375 degrees F.
This part goes pretty fast so I didn't get pictures of the whole process but this is how it goes. Working in batches you want to drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Cook them about 45 seconds on each side until golden brown.
Remove the little guys from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate. While they are still warm, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture you whipped up earlier.
You will end up with a little plate of heaven like this.
And while you stand there with the nice warm fried banana dough puff thingies...go ahead and pick one up.
And because I know you want to...go ahead and take a bite. Then eat a few more because they are that good! Enjoy!
Mini Banana Beignets
Retrieved from Food Network
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 11/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 overripe banana)
- 1/4 teaspoon banana extract (optional)
- Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk the egg, milk, mashed banana and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in another bowl. Add the banana extract, if desired.
- Combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened.
- Working in batches, drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, then roll in the cinnamon sugar while still warm.