Ördögpirula translates as the devil’s pills, though it feels like heaven when you eat them. If we would like to find a fitting non-Hungarian term for ördögpirula, the French word beignet (fritter) can describe it quite precisely. These deep-fried Hungarian beignets are made from choux pastry and rolled in sweetened cocoa powder. One of the amazing things about choux pastry is the amount of rise you get without any yeast or chemical leavening. This comes from the amount of moisture in the batter.

Choux pastry is a twice-cooked, multi-purpose substance that lies somewhere between dough and batter. It’s made by cooking flour with water and/or milk and butter, then mixing in eggs off heat to form a spoonable consistency. It’s then cooked a second time, either by baking (like in case of Hungarian cream puffs), frying, or poaching, depending on the recipe the choux pastry is being used for.

As you know, baking is about precision and accuracy, and this is even more true in case of choux pastry. Although I give volume measurements as well in the recipe, I recommend weighing the ingredients with a scale in order to achieve the desired result.