Baked Pumpkin Donuts (or Muffins)

Here's what you need:

Big Bowl

Spatula

Wooden Spoon

Measuring Cups - 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon

Ziploc or sealable storage bag (large)

Donut pan or Muffin tins (makes approximately 24)

Two small shallow bowls

 Wet Ingredients

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons butter (or margarine)

1/2 cup pumpkin pie puree (or 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice)

Dry Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the topping after baking – 1/4 Cup butter (or margarine), 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Here's what to do:

Get the oven pre-heating to 350 degrees (F) or 175 degrees (C). Prep those pans - grease your donut pans or baking sheets. 

Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl (That's 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon). Stir it all together and put this bowl aside. 

Measure ½ cup of pumpkin pie filling or the pumpkin mixture into a bowl. Add 1 cup of milk and 5 tablespoons of butter or margarine. I usually warm the butter or margarine slightly, so it mixes together easily (15 – 30 seconds in the microwave). Stir the wet ingredients together.

Next add the wet ingredients to the big bowl of dry ingredients and mix them together. You can use a wooden spoon, spatula combo to work it all in so you have a lovely consistency that looks and smells amazing.

You can spoon the mixture into your pan of choice. You can also scoop the mixture into a large Ziploc bag, seal it up, cut the bottom corner off just a bit and then you can easily control how it goes into your donut pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes. Use the toothpick trick to make sure they are done. If the inserted toothpick comes out wet, pop them back in for a few more minutes. 

Let them cool enough so you can handle them. Mix the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together into a small shallow bowl. Heat the 1/4 butter (or margarine) in a small shallow bowl. Dip a donut into the butter, turn it over with a fork or other utensil. Then transfer the donut into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Flip it to cover both sides then you can put into a container. Repeat these steps with each donut. Avoid stacking them. Only coat as many donuts as you want to eat within a few hours because the sugar mixture will soak into the donuts over time. You can freeze them without topping. 

Makes approximately 24 donuts or muffins.

Enjoy your kitchen adventures!