A true beignet is light as air. Lightly browned and crispy on the outside, the inside is almost empty, I swear. The dough just puffs up when it hits the hot oil. That makes the inside kind of open in places. It's hard to describe, but not really like a doughnut. Maybe more like a crueller's texture, but lighter. Must be eaten hot and literally covered with powdered sugar.
ETA Some of my earliest memories are of being bundled into the car in my jammies for a drive to the French Market for a late night snack of coffee and beignets. I had chocolate milk with my beignets while the adults had cafe au lait. In those days (mid-50s) there was car hop service so you didn't have to get out of the car. "Those were the days, my friend!"
"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett