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Easy Baked Pumpkin Sugar Donuts Recipe

Easy Baked Pumpkin Sugar Donuts

Soft pumpkin donuts are baked until tender, then brushed with melted butter and tossed in cinnamon sugar. This simple recipe yields 12 standard donuts in about 35 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Donuts
  • 1 3/4 cups (220 g) All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) Unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) Packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg Large egg
  • 1 cup (approximately 225 g) Pumpkin purée, not pumpkin-pie filling
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Sugar Coating
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) Granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin-pie spice, optional

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and thoroughly grease a 12-well donut pan.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice together in a medium bowl.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin purée, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
  5. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the donut wells, filling each two-thirds to three-quarters full.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the donuts spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean.
  7. Cool the donuts in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Mix the granulated sugar with cinnamon and optional pumpkin-pie spice, brush or dip each warm donut lightly in melted butter, and toss in the sugar mixture.

Notes

Use pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin-pie filling. Pipe the batter for evenly shaped donuts, avoid overmixing, and coat the donuts while they are still slightly warm so the butter and cinnamon sugar adhere well.