Baked Pumpkin Donuts-the taste of fall!

I love fall. This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. Getting ready for all the fun of the holidays, the leaves are beautiful, it's not too hot or too cold, and I have the desire to bake even more than normal. Good times!

I started my fall-style baking yesterday. I really wanted to make spiced apple cider donuts, but I didn't have any apple cider. Dug through my pantry, found a can of pumpkin puree, and decided to find a recipe for pumpkin donuts instead!

These are perfect. I made donut holes, that's our preference with little ones in the house, and they turned out great. They are full of pumpkin, are deliciously moist, and have plenty of spices in them! 

Now, these are good dipped in butter & coated in cinnamon sugar, but they are great by themselves too. Adrian, oddly enough, seemed to prefer them without coating. Nate, Gabriel, & I preferred them with the coating. (I won't tell you how quickly my family of 4 went through a batch of these...)

These are a perfect baking idea for a rainy fall day!

Printable Recipe

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients

Donuts

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Coating

• ⅔ cup cinnamon-sugar mixture
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray 2 mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. (Alternately, lightly spray donut pan.)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, milk, butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients until just combined. 
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, about ⅔ - ¾ of the way full. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Note: metal pans take slightly less time than silicon; watch closely if you are using metal. Donut pan may take longer.)
5. Remove from the oven, and place the donuts on a wire rack to cool. 
6. Once cool, dip each donuts  into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Be sure to coat well.

Yield/Time

40 donut holes

(maybe 13 donuts?)

1 hour

Nutrition Facts

47/donut hole

(71 with cinnamon sugar)

144/donut

(220 with cinnamon sugar)

Source (for original): Live Well Bake Often

Remember, comments are loved! What's your favorite fall baking recipe?

Egg Nog Cookies: The Taste of Christmas

So, a week or so ago, I volunteered to make cookies for Nate's coworker's going away party. By volunteered, of course, I mean that Nate volunteered me.

I couldn't decide what to make, then I forgot what day it was going to be, so Nate almost had to just take some of the caramels I made last night. (Recipe to follow in a day or so, so stay tuned!)

Then, when Gabriel & I had to make a grocery store run this morning, I splurged & got some egg nog.... which gave me the idea of egg nog cookies! One Pinterest search & a couple hours later, these are packed & ready to go to work with Nate! (Well, some of them. We may have eaten a couple a lot.) 

If you like egg nog, you should definitely try these!!! Nate has decided these are my new Christmas cookies. (He's not a huge fan of my sugar cookies, which I'll never understand. I eat myself to the point of nausea on them every year.) Gabriel ate his so fast that I thought he dropped it: I gave him one, turned as I took a bite of mine, then when I looked to see what he thought, I couldn't see any cookie. I asked "Gabriel, did you drop your cookie?" and he opened his hand to show me the 1/2 bite he had left. I would say they are a hit. ;)

Between the egg nog & the nutmeg, these just taste like Christmas. And at 111 calories each (for a batch of 40).... you can't go wrong!

I'm going to tell myself that as I eat the remaining half dozen I left out for our family....  

Remember, comments are love! 

 

Egg Nog Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour    
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon    
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice     
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco     
• 1/2 cup + 3 - 5 tablespoons eggnog, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla     
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons softened butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.
3. Cream Crisco and sugar in an electric mixer. Add ½ cup eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix on medium until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients, mix until smooth.
4. Place by rounded teaspoonful onto parchment covered or lightly greased baking sheet. (Alternatively, flour hands lightly and form into small balls.)
5. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. 
6. IF DESIRED: Meanwhile, in small mixer bowl, beat powdered sugar and butter together until well blended; add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Gradually beat in 3 to 5 tablespoons egg nog until icing is desired consistency. (I added the minimum amount, iced half the cookies, then added a little more to ice the rest. My preference, if icing them at all, is the minimum amount of egg nog.) However, these cookies don't even really need the icing. Next time, I'm leaving a lot more without it.

Yield/Time

Approximately 3 ½ dozen

1 ½ hours

Nutrition Facts

111 calories (per 40 cookies)

Source (for original): The Girl Who Ate Everything

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins: The Taste of Fall!

I love fall. It's quite possibly my favorite time of the year, for some many reasons. My birthday, beautiful weather (sometimes; I do live in Michigan), changing of the leaves...

...and, of course, the food. There are endless great things about fall food. Fresh apples from the orchard (made into apple bread, applesauce, apple jelly, apple pie, apple crisp, etc.), peaches, warm thick stews, soups with Grandma's homemade noodles, fresh venison, pumpkin bread, pumpkin streusel muffins.... 

I could go on & on, but I'll stop there & actually share the recipe for the muffins!

I love to bake with pumpkin, but I restrain myself and only do it in the fall & winter. It just doesn't seem right to be eating pumpkin in the spring or summer. To make up for this, of course, I have to make quite a few pumpkin-themed baked goods while I can. I have a recipe for pumpkin bread that I love, and I usually make at least a couple batches of these muffins. 

They have just the right amount of pumpkin--I like pumpkin, but not if there's too much. (For example, I just don't like pumpkin pie. I've been told that mine is amazing, but I don't eat it.) The streusel topping adds quite a bit to it, too. And, if you are trying to watch your calories, these aren't even that bad for you. (The fact that they have pumpkin makes it a health food too, I'm sure.)

If you are a pumpkin fan, I would highly recommend these muffins. They are amazing!

Remember, comments are love!  

(Isn't the plate cute? I got a set of those & ones that say "Trick or Treat" clearance at Meijer a few years ago, after Halloween.)

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter, softened    
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar    
• ⅔ cup canned pumpkin
• ½ cup buttermilk (If, like me, you don't keep buttermilk on hand, you can easily sub with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter + enough milk to make 1/2 cup.)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons molasses   
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking soda    
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon    
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice    
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt    
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and ¼ cup brown sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, & molasses. 
3. Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices & salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture until blended. Fill prepared muffin cups ⅔ full.
4. For topping, combine ¼ cup flour and 3 tablespoons brown sugar; cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. 
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Yield/Time

18 muffins

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min.

Nutrition Facts

One muffin: 148 calories, 6 g fat (0 saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 336 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Source (for original): Taste of Home