Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Fluffy, flavorful, and delicately sweet, these Baked Pumpkin Donuts are the perfect fall-themed treat! These Pumpkin Donuts are quick and easy to make, and feature a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating which perfectly compliments the warm cinnamon and spice flavors in the donuts. As well, because these Pumpkin Donuts are baked, they are relatively healthier than any fried variety!
Making the Baked Pumpkin Donut Batter
1.Brown the butter: In a small pot, add the butter, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Continue heating the butter turns a nice chestnut color. When ready, remove from heat and place into the freezer to cool off for 15-20 minutes.
2.Beat sugars, butter, and oil together: In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, slightly warm brown butter, white sugar and brown sugar, and beat on medium-high with a hand-mixer, until well combined.
3. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla: Add all of the pumpkin puree, alongside the vanilla, to the mixing bowl, and beat on medium-low until well combined and smooth.
4. Add eggs: Add the eggs in one at a time. It is important to add them in one at a time, and allow each to incorporate before adding the next, because you don’t want any chunks of eggs that haven’t been properly mixed in! Now, beat the eggs until the mixture looks smooth.
5. Whisk the dry ingredients together: In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and the spices. Whisk them together until well incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl: Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, then beat on low, until the mixture is just combined and smooth. Don’t overbeat!
7. Pipe batter into donut pans: Add the batter into a large piping bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Fill each donut cavity about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
8. Bake: Place into the oven to bake for about 15 minutes. When they are done, they should be springy on the top and a tooth pick should come out clean.
9. Cool the Pumpkin Donuts: Place baked pumpkin donuts onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.
10. Coat in Cinnamon Sugar: Brush the donuts with melted butter, then place into a bowl with cinnamon and sugar and toss with the sugar.
WHAT IS BROWN BUTTER?
If you have ever smelled butter browning, then you know exactly why it is used in many of my recipes! The process of browning the butter, involves the separating of butterfat and milk solids. The milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and begin to undergo the Maillard reaction due to the heat, essentially caramelizing the milk solids. What is created is butter that is deep in color and rich in flavor. The Maillard reaction causes the butter to take on a taste that is reminiscent of nuts and caramel. Making it absolutely perfect for the flavors within these Baked Pumpkin Donuts.
Browning butter is actually quite easy, so do not be intimidated! You want to add the unsalted, cubed, room temperature butter to a small sauce pan over medium heat. Then essentially boil the butter and continue to boil, stirring constantly to promote even cooking, until the colour is a beautiful nutty brown and ultra-fragrant. It is important to note that after browning the butter, it is essential to let it cool though. I simply pour the brown butter into a measuring cup and place it in the fridge or freezer to cool. When ready to use it should still be liquid but only slightly warm to the touch. This will take about 15 minutes in the freezer.
If you do not feel like browning butter for these Baked Pumpkin Donuts, feel free to just melt the butter in the microwave. I just found the brown butter added a rich and complex flavor to the Baked Pumpkin Donuts recipe, making it a more ‘standout’ recipe!
PLACE INTO A PIPING BAG FOR UNIFORM DONUTS
Personally I like to place the batter into a piping bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. I find that I get the best control over the size of the donuts, ensuring that they are all unison in size, and bake evenly. However feel free to spoon the batter into the pans as well. The consistency of the batter works perfectly for both!
Coated with Cinnamon Sugar
Typically when coating regular fried donuts in a cinnamon sugar coating, all you need to do is take the hot, freshly fried donut and place it into the cinnamon sugar to coat. With these baked Pumpkin Donuts, the process is a little different. The baked pumpkin donuts are, well, baked, so there is no oil coating around the outside that helps the cinnamon sugar to adhere to them. So here is where you need to improvise a little! Melt a little bit of butter in the microwave, then brush the butter onto the cooled pumpkin donut. Now simply take the butter-coated donut and roll it in the cinnamon sugar! They are now ready to be enjoyed!
Get the Recipe: Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Ingredients
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour,, properly measured †
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- One 15oz Can Pumpkin Puree, (about 2 cups)
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 3 Large Eggs
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup Butter,, melted
- 3/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
Equipment
- donut pan
Instructions
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- In a small sauce over medium heat, add butter and bring to a boil. Continue heating over medium heat, constantly stirring until the butter has turned a nutty brown color. It may be hard to see the color if your butter is foaming a lot, so periodically take it off the heat to check the color. Remove from heat, place into a heat proof glass and then into the freezer to cool off for 15-30 minutes. When ready, the butter should still be liquid and just barely warm to the touch.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare 4 donut pans with cooking spray. Next, in a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and all the spices. Whisk together to combine, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, cooled brown butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with a hand-mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla, then beat again until well-combined and smooth. Finally, add eggs in, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat just until smooth.
- Add batter to donut pans by spoon or using a piping bag, then transfer to oven to bake for 13 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before coating with cinnamon sugar.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Add cinnamon and sugar to a medium size bowl, then whisk together until well-combined.
- Lightly brush each donut with melted butter, then place the donut into the cinnamon sugar, and toss to coat.
Notes
Source: Adapted from Food Network
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