Hand to God, these baked donut holes taste like fried donut holes. I don’t know how I did it. There were several versions, but the last one just popped. I sent the recipe to my Mom to try, and she agreed. It’s not just the cinnamon-sugar coating (which all donuts should have, am I right?); there’s a creaminess to the muffins. It’s unbelievable, until you try it! If I had to guess, I would say that it’s the high amount of baking powder in such a small recipe. This recipe makes just 9 mini muffins, but calls for a full teaspoon of baking powder. It’s a balancing act to use this much baking powder; the spices and pumpkin puree really step up to the plate here.
Pumpkin donut holes:
I’m not one to shy away from frying anything (pickles?, ice cream?, veggies?), but in the interest of getting donuts in my face faster, a baked version can really save the day. Plus, I’d rather slide these pumpkin donut holes into the oven in the mornings than heat up a big pan of oil. It’s so much easier to plop batter in a muffin pan, too, isn’t it? you really need a mini muffin pan for this recipe, not a full size muffin pan.
Pumpkin spice donut holes
I love that these pumpkin donut holes are baked before being rolled in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. There’s hardly anything that isn’t made better by dunking in melted butter and cinnamon sugar post-baking. This is such a great fall breakfast treat, and I love to make it on Friday mornings before school for my daughter. Nine baked pumpkin donut holes is the perfect amount for our family: my daughter can eat two and my husband and I can take care of the rest, hah. It’s a challenge to eat seven pumpkin donut holes for us, but we somehow manage–only kidding. Happy pumpkin season, friends! Can I suggest my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for an after school snack? If you try these pumpkin donut holes, let me know how you like them! I’d love to hear from you in the comments. This recipe just uses 1 egg white; be sure to check my recipe to use the leftover egg yolk! Please note that this recipe uses a MINI muffin pan.
Wilton 12-Cup Mini Muffin Pan
