BAKED PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS

Today is National Coffee Day, and what goes best with coffee? Doughnuts!

This time of year I crave pumpkin EVERYTHING (as mentioned in my previous posts). I think it’s a comfort thing. Like even though I know summer is over and cold weather is on its way, at least I get to indulge in pumpkin.

I typically don’t eat very many doughnuts – only for calorie reasons. I do indeed love doughnuts. And if I could eat doughnuts every single day like my 88-year-old grandmother I would, but then I would end up looking like a doughnut.

But I recently got a doughnut pan, and I could not wait to make baked doughnuts! And of course, my first doughnut experiment had to be a pumpkin doughnut recipe. I adapted this recipe from the King Arthur Flour recipe collection. These are the perfect indulgence because 1) they’re baked not fried and 2) the pumpkin makes them super moist!

So celebrate National Coffee Day with a doughnut, and find a list of businesses giving out free coffee here!

BAKED PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS

Yield: 15 doughnuts (or 18 muffins)

Calories: 290 calories per doughnut

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the doughnuts

·         1 (15ounce) can of pumpkin, or 1 and 3/4 cup

·         3 large eggs

·         1/2  cup vegetable oil

·         1 and 1/2  cups granulated sugar

·         1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

·         1 and 1/2  teaspoons salt

·         1 and 1/2  teaspoons baking powder

·         1 and 3/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

For the glaze

·         1/2 cup brown sugar

·         1/4 cup butter

·         3 tablespoons milk

·         1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

·         1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

DIRECTIONS

For the doughnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Lightly grease two doughnut pans. 
3. Beat together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, spice, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
4. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
5. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well.
6. Bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes
7.  Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes
8.  After 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

For the glaze

1. While doughnuts are cooling, prepare glaze by melting together brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
3. Add milk and boil for another minute.
4. Add confectioner’s sugar and pumpkin pie spice and stir until smooth.
5. Turn heat to low
6. Carefully dip each donut in glaze to cover tops. You may need to stir glaze occasionally to keep it from hardening.
7. Allow glaze to harden before serving.

*NOTE: If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin; they just won't be doughnuts. And if you’re baking muffins, you’ll need to adjust the baking time to about 23 minutes.

The gorgeous orange batter before the addition of flour

The batter will be pretty thick

I filled a Ziploc bag with batter to pipe the batter into the doughnut holes, 

but I think it's just as easy to spoon the batter into the wells.

Freshly baked doughnuts!

I used the same glaze for these doughnuts that I used for my pumpkin scones. 

Super moist inside

Make sure to enjoy a cup of coffee with your doughnut since it's National Doughnut Day!