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Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Butter Glaze

These tender pumpkin donuts are excellent warm from the oven or hours later at room temp. Either way, hot coffee for grown ups and cold milk for kids are a must here. The number of donuts and cooking time may vary depending on the size of your pan.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings 9 donuts
Calories 266 kcal
Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

Donuts

  • Oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the pan
  • 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour*
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Brown Butter Glaze (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Generously grease donut pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt.

  3. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, and oil, and whisk until smooth and blended.

  4. Add the pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and whisk until smooth and one even consistency.
  5. Spoon batter into a glass measuring cup with a lip for pouring or a small pitcher and fill donut pan about 1/4-inch shy of the top.

  6. Bake in the center rack of the oven until the top of the donut springs back when lightly pressed, about 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on the counter for 3 or 4 minutes. Invert pan and gently release donuts onto a rack to cool for another 10 minutes or so. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar or make the brown butter glaze below.

Brown Butter Glaze

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it bubbles and then turns nutty brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and milk to browned butter and whisk until silky smooth with no lumps. If the glaze solidifies a bit as it cools, add more milk, a few drops at a time as needed.

  2. Dip cooled doughnuts into glaze, allowing any excess frosting to drip back into bowl.

Recipe Notes

All-purpose flour or white whole-wheat flour can be substituted for the whole-wheat pastry flour.

Feel free to bake in a mini donut plan instead, figuring about 11 minutes of bake time. 

Adapted from a recipe by Tracy Benjamin of Shutterbean