Baked Pumpkin Donuts

I am so excited for October. It feels weird not being on the east coast right now, where the weather tends to mirror the seasons pretty accurately and the leaves are changing color. Instead, right now in LA, I still walk around in shorts during the day but then at night, it’s finally starting to get cold. It’s really annoying when getting dressed for the day. You’re either going to be too hot during the day or too cold at night.

You know what makes fall feel like fall? Pumpkin. I finally cracked open my first can of pumpkin and decided to make baked pumpkin donuts for my book club! Yes. I’m in a book club. What could be better than wine, food and dessert with friends, and talking for a little bit about a book? Not much.

Anyway, so I wanted to bake donuts because baked donuts are healthy and small and you can eat 5 so it’s totally allowed. I’ve dreamed about pumpkin donuts ever since I got a pumpkin donut from Dunkin Donuts when I was leaving Vegas Labor Day weekend. (Is it sad that one of the high points of that weekend was going to DD for iced coffee and donuts?)

These donuts are nice and light and fluffy, a great cake texture, and plain old delicious. But the glaze? That really ties it all together. Adding in the pumpkin pie spice adds just a little extra kick of flavor that takes the glaze to the next level. We ate some plain donuts but we all agreed that the ones with the glaze were way better. Also, sorry for the pictures but taking pictures at night with one ceiling light is definitely a challenge.

So now that it’s official “Pumpkin Season”, these would be perfect to make for friends! Share the pumpkin love.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

makes about 18-20 donuts

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (roughly a 15 ounce can)
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Beat together oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until just combined. Careful not to over mix.

Transfer batter to a large ziplock bag with a corner cut out. Pipe batter into each mold until about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and donut springs back against your touch. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Spice Glaze

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3-4 tablespoons milk

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and 3 tablespoons milk. Add milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. The glaze ideally should drizzle off of a spoon at a consistent pace back into the bowl.

Dip donuts in the glaze, letting additional glaze drip back into the bowl. Let donuts rest on rack until glaze hardens.

[source: adapted from King Arthur Flour]