Description
These Baked Pumpkin Donuts are tender, moist, and bursting with warm fall spices. They are topped with a rich brown sugar icing, making them perfect as a delicious breakfast treat, snack, or dessert.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Donuts:
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Icing:
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (175g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Optional: toppings like sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut, or cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Mix the batter: Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold until just combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Fill the donut pan: Spoon the batter into the donut cavities. To make this easier, transfer the batter into a large zip-top bag, cut off a corner, and pipe the batter into the cavities, filling them about halfway.
- Bake the donuts: Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges and tops are lightly browned. Test by pressing gently—if the donut bounces back, it’s ready. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
- Make the icing: In a medium saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, milk, and butter over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract and sifted confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Optionally, add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Dip and decorate: Let the icing cool slightly for 5 minutes to thicken. Dip the tops of the cooled donuts into the icing. If it thickens as you dip, add a little more milk or reheat. Add optional toppings as desired, and allow the icing to set for about 1 hour if you want to stack or transport the donuts.
- Store the donuts: Cover leftover donuts tightly and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Donuts can be frozen (plain or topped with icing) for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm as desired. If frozen plain, apply icing after thawing.
- Special Tools: Consider using a donut pan, glass mixing bowls, a whisk, a large zip-top bag, a saucepan, and a cooling rack for best results.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: If unavailable, make your own with 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Use this alongside the recipe’s cinnamon.
- Milk Substitutions: Any milk (dairy or non-dairy) works for both the donuts and icing. Tested options include unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk.
- Optional Toppings: Sprinkle toppings on the icing like chopped nuts, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or toasted coconut, or dip donuts in a cinnamon sugar topping.
- No Donut Pan: Use a 12-cup muffin pan for donut muffins. Follow typical muffin baking instructions.
- Mini Donuts: Use a mini muffin pan and bake for 8-9 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 216
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2.5g
- Cholesterol: 28mg
