Hi, friends! Happy September! Even though it’s still technically summer, I’m getting really excited about all of the fun that fall brings. Apple picking, pumpkin carving, corn mazes… the list goes on! Right around this time of year is when all the “pumpkin flavored ____” starts being offered, and I am not complaining even a little about it. I have my pumpkin spice coffee creamer in the fridge and my pumpkin Kleenex boxes sitting in the bathroom right now (no shame!). As my husband and I were thinking about what to do with our day, I suggested apple picking and getting some apple cider donuts, but he came up with a WAY better idea- making my own pumpkin donuts! I’ve never made my own donuts before, so that made the idea doubly exciting. Off we rushed to Target to pick up the last donut pan in stock, and then headed back home for me to try my hand at it. I’m pretty excited about how they turned out, so I had to share the recipe!

This recipe makes 12 donuts. The glaze recipe makes enough to cover about 8 donuts, and the sugar mixture recipe makes enough to cover all 12.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • (Hint: if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice in your pantry, as I don’t, use this conversion instead: for 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice. For this recipe, since you need 1.5 tsp of the mix, I just put a little extra of each spice in).
• 1 cup (8oz) pureed pumpkin
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set it aside (this will be for putting hot, freshly topped donuts on). In a large bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until there are no clumps. Then, add in the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, and butter. Mix with a hand mixer on low speed until it’s fully mixed. You’ll end up with a lovely orange colored batter.

NOTE: be warned that one can of pumpkin is usually 15 ounces, rather than the 8oz that you need. Don’t use the whole can or else you’ll have way too much pumpkin and a really wet dough! 

Now, it’s time to fill the donut pan! On my first go with filling the pan, I think I filled them a little too full- you want the batter to be a little lower than level with the surface of the donut pan.

Bake 13-15 minutes, until the donuts spring back when you gently touch them, or until a toothpick inserted in the donut comes out clean.

These come out of the pan super easily, so while the donuts are still piping hot you can flip the pan upside down and turn the donuts out onto a cooling rack.

Now for the toppings! For both my glazed donuts and my sugared ones, I had an assembly line going: first the donuts, then the dips, and then the lined baking sheet so that I could dip and place the donuts without too much back-and-forth action. The glaze assembly line is shown below.

Cream Cheese Glaze ingredients:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp milk

Mix all the ingredients together using a hand mixer, starting on low speed and increasing to high speed to incorporate air, until all ingredients are well mixed. If you want the glaze to be firmer, you can add more confectioner’s sugar- if you want it to be looser, you can add more milk. Be careful with the amount of milk you add, though. A little milk goes a long way in changing the consistency of these glazes!

Dip as many donuts as you want into the glaze. You can dip only one side in so that it’s like a frosted donut (this glaze doesn’t harden, so it really is like frosting!), or you can do what I did, and coat the whole donut in the glaze. I will say, since the glaze stays soft, it makes the donuts a little harder to eat if they’re totally covered in the glaze… but who cares. It’s delicious, and you can lick your fingers after.

Cinnamon and Sugar Topping:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Melt the butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Dip as many donuts as you want in the melted butter. Make sure to get the sides of the donut, too, so that the cinnamon/sugar mixture sticks to the sides of the donut. Then, toss the donuts in the cinnamon and sugar mix until they’re fully coated.

And that’s it! You can eat the donuts hot, or you can let them cool and set a little bit. They’re delicious either way! I can say first-hand, a donut pan is a worthwhile purchase, and I highly recommend giving these a try! Happy fall!