Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes with Pumpkin Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar

My love of fried dough started with a church and a box of Dunkin’ Donuts. When I was younger, I would always drop by my parent’s Sunday school class before heading to my own. Of course, as a dutiful daughter, I wanted to say goodbye to my parents. As a bonus, I also managed to nab a donut out of the boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts virtually guaranteed to be sitting on the back table.

I don’t know why we never had Dunkin’ in my second grade Sunday school (perhaps something about children and massive amounts of sugar?). I guess it doesn’t matter, because I was lucky enough to find another pathway to donut bliss.

But although I had access to plenty of donut flavors, none enticed me so much as the Chocolate Kreme Filled Donut: A powdered sugar donut filled to the brim with delicious chocolate creme (actually, filled past the brim – look at the little rosettes on each donut due to too much filling ahhhhhh). Hang on, let me wipe the drool from my keyboard.  Sorry. But I have not eaten one for years.

Unfortunately, the Dunkin’ in my town closed down, which I despair over to this day (A little courtesy notice, please? I would’ve pitched in my allowance!). The years between the closing of Dunkin’ and my leaving for college were filled with the opening of Krispy Kreme (fine, their glazed donuts are friggin’ delicious just out of the fryer, but do people really need to line up at 3am for the opening?!) and LaMar’s (chocolate glazed is pretty dec).

When I got to college in Houston, though, I found Shipley’s. Ohhhh Shipley’s. Did you know that the one on Kirby used to open at like…5am (before they closed down…like all the great donut shops of my life)?? And that the one on Richmond is open until 10pm? I did.

Unfortunately, upon being tossed from that great blanket of security and fun known as college, I have yet to find a donut love in Dallas. Probably because I am still too traumatized from the Dunkin’ Debacle of 1999. So when I started seeing a plethora of donut recipes pop up (check out this ridiculous milkshake), I knew it was time to make some of my own. And, I found this amazing baked recipe! Plus I replaced almost half the oil with applesauce. So. healthy. Also, I tried out two different topping options. Because when is one (donut) ever enough? Enjoy!

Pumpkin Donut Holes (Adapted from the craving chronicles & two peas and their pod)

Yield: About 24 donut holes

Ingredients

Donut Holes

1. 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2. 2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
7. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
9. 1/2 cup brown sugar
10. 1 large egg
11. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12. 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
13. 1/2 cup milk

Pumpkin Glaze (Adapted from i am baker)

1. 1 cup powdered sugar
2. 1 tablespoon milk
3. 1 tablespoon butter, melted
4. 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2. 2/3 cup granulated sugar
3. 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. In a separate, larger bowl, mix together oil, applesauce, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
4. For pumpkin glaze: While baking, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. After removing donuts from oven, cool for 2 minutes, then dip in glaze and let sit on cooling rack so excess glaze drips off.
5. For cinnamon sugar: While baking, melt butter in one bowl, and combine sugar and cinnamon in another. Remove donuts from oven and cool 2 minutes, then dipped in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.