Description
These Baked Pumpkin Donuts are super tender and cakelike and they’re filled with all the flavors of fall. They are also super easy to make. They are complemented with a brown butter icing that’s dotted with pecan pieces and they are irresistible! These are a perfect fall morning breakfast treat and you’ll be making them often!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
DONUTS
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (sifted or spoon & leveled)
- 1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/8 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons milk
BROWN BUTTER ICING
- 1/2 stick real butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons of water, (thin enough for easy dipping)
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
DONUTS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray donut pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, and milk, until all ingredients are well combined. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet, just until the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Fill a piping bag about 2/3 full will the batter, or use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. You can use a spoon if you don’t have a bag. Fill the donut molds about 3/4 full. Gently shake the pan to level out the batter.
- Bake the donuts for about 12 to 13 minutes, until they are browned on top and they spring back when you touch them with your finger. If the indent from your finger remains, they still need more time in the oven. Check them again after 1 minute. You can also check them with a toothpick.
- Gently tap the donut pan against the counter and flip the pan over onto a wire cooling rack. The donuts should pop right out. Allow the donuts to cool completely before dipping them in the icing.
BROWN BUTTER ICING
- Add the butter to a medium-size saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Once it’s melted, slightly pick the pan up from the burner and swirl the butter around every 15 to 20 seconds. Continue to do so until the butter has turned a golden brown and you see bits of brown butter in the bottom of the pan. This could take up to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and water. Whisk until the ingredients are combined and the icing is thin and smooth. The icing will slightly thicken as it cools. If it isn’t thin enough for dipping, just add a tiny bit more water.
- Dip the top of each donut in the icing, then sprinkle the top with chopped pecans, or your favorite nut. Place the donuts on a piece of wax paper until the icing sets. This icing doesn’t take long to set up. Place the donuts in an airtight container. You should be able to stack them in layers without using wax or parchment paper between the layers.
- The donuts will stay soft & fresh for up to 3 days but don’t worry they won’t last that long.
Notes
- These donuts freeze nicely without the icing. You can wrap them tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
- This recipe makes about 15 donuts. Most donut pans only have 6 molds in them. If you only have one donut pan, you can make 6 at a time. It doesn’t hurt for the batter to rest between batches. However, once you see how easy it is to make baked donuts, you’ll probably want to invest in at least 2 donut pans.