Yucca Beignets in Spiced Syrup
A festive, out-of-the-box treat that family and friends will request year after year.
Fair Trade Certified™ sugar and spice make everything nice in this Dominican-inspired holiday dessert from Marnely Murray. The Cooking with Books blogger and chef processes potato-like yucca into a dough, fries it to golden perfection, and drenches it in a warm syrup made from brown sugar, cinnamon, and other seasonal spices. We recommend serving in small glasses or bowls and eating with spoons — you won't want one drop of that syrup to go to waste!
Ingredients
For the beignets
- ½ lb yucca, peeled
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp Fair Trade Certified organic dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, large
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp Fair Trade Certified ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup canola or coconut oil, for frying
For the spiced syrup
- ¾ cup Fair Trade Certified organic blue agave
- ¼ cup Fair Trade Certified organic dark brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground Fair Trade Certified Ceylon cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground Fair Trade Certified nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp Fair Trade Certified ground cloves
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 4 Fair Trade Certified Ceylon cinnamon sticks for serving
Preparation Instructions
Serves 4
Make the yucca beignet dough
- Peel the yucca, remove the tips, and slice it lengthwise down the middle. You'll see a long, fibrous root running the length of one of the halves. Remove this with the tip of your knife, poking and lifting until an inch-long section of the root detaches. Pull it off and discard. Cut the yucca halves into chunks.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and boil the yucca until tender. Let cool to room temperature.
- In a food processor, pulse yucca, butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until a smooth dough forms. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for one hour.
Make the spiced syrup
- Add all syrup ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the spices are incorporated. Set aside but keep warm.
Make the yucca beignets
- Heat your preferred oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil is warmed through, scoop and drop in small balls of the dough. Fry on all sides until golden brown and cooked, about 4-6 minutes.
- Place beignets in a single layer in a container and pour over the syrup, making sure to drench them all.
- Serve hot or warm with extra syrup and cinnamon sticks.