Ella and I love our easy New Orleans-style Beignets recipe, so for our Princess & the Frog movie night we thought we’d do a cute twist with these Heart-Shaped Beignets!

Personally, I think these beignets are perfect anytime of the year, but they are definitely perfect between Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras – I mean, how on-theme can you get?

I first saw this idea to use pre-made biscuit dough to make heart-shaped donuts and let’s just say… they didn’t work for me. We have a pretty high standard to which we hold the donuts and beignets in our lives, and that cheater recipe just wasn’t working for me. (Though I’m totally fine with it for easy pull-apart monkey bread.)

So, we took that idea of making heart-shaped donuts but used our tried-and-true beignet recipe – and it worked like a charm!

There’s a few tips to make this recipe a bit easier.

First, start the recipe the night before and let the dough rise in the fridge (or let it rise for a couple hours before refrigerating overnight). In the morning, you’ll just have to roll out the dough, cut out the shapes and fry the beignets, so you can actually enjoy them in time for breakfast or brunch.

Next, use a spoon to carefully place the beignet in the oil in order to maintain it’s shape.

And finally, enjoy these beignets warm if you can. This is a treat that is best enjoyed as soon as possible – so do yourself a favor and make a fresh batch!

(And serve with a cup of cafe au lait or hot chocolate.)

My friend generously filmed a video of herself making our homemade beignets after she fell in love with our original recipe – if doesn’t show the heart-shape adaption but it does walk you through the preparation of the dough:

Ingredients for Heart-Shaped Beignets

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 envelope active dry yeast (1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup shortening PLUS 1 Tablespoon
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (regular flour is okay but will be less chewy)
• 6+ cups oil, for deep-frying
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rolling pin
• Cutting board
• Large stock pot or dutch oven (for frying)
• Tongs or frier spatula
• Sifter/sieve
• Small and large heart-shaped cookie cutters

How to Make Heart-Shaped Beignets

Mix warm water, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

When the yeast has bubbled and made the water completely frothy, add in the eggs, salt and milk and whisk well.

Melt 1/4 cup of the shortening with the boiling water and set aside for a moment.

Add 2 cups of the bread flour to the yeast mixture and stir thoroughly.

Next add the melted shortening and stir well.

Add the remaining flour as you continue to stir.

Dust a cutting board with flour and fold the dough onto the cutting board.

Knead for about 3-5 minutes until smooth, adding tiny amounts of flour to stop the dough from sticking.

Grease the large mixing bowl with the reserved tablespoon of shortening and return the dough to the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours – or pop it in the fridge overnight to rise.

When ready to cook, ensure the dough has been at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Place oil in a deep fryer or dutch over over medium-high heat.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4″ thickness and cut with the large heart-shaped cookie cutter, then cut holes using the smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Use a spoon to transfer the shaped donuts into the oil, to keep their shape.

Deep-fry 3-4 at a time for about 5-7 minutes, flipping to prevent burning, until they reach a golden colour.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels for a few minutes, then sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot.

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Grab your free printable recipe card for our beignet recipe:

Have you ever had beignets? Would you try making these heart-shaped beignets for your loves?

Check out the rest of the details for our Princess & the Frog Movie Night – or if you’d like a quick & easy heart-shaped treat, check out our cinnamon bun crackers.

Check out our other Breakfast Recipes here: