My kids love doughnuts. (LOVE being the emphasized word here!) I have to admit I do have a secret affinity for them but try to stay away from those round, sugar covered circles of yummy-ness in an attempt to try to enjoy healthier sweet treats. I know I just contradicted myself here. A sweet treat and healthy just cannot go together…
unless you tweak a few recipes and come up with a healthier version, right?
Allow me to introduce you to our healthier doughnuts…
Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
You can make these regular sized, but for our family the minis are what we prefer and with our mini doughnut pans, we easily get 32 doughnuts with this recipe. (You can get a second or a third without feeling guilty!)
- 2 eggs room temperature, gently whipped
- 1/4 cup applesauce unsweetened (You can also replace this with softened butter. This is a not-so-healthy alternative but definitely makes the doughnuts less dense and fluffier.)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree I take the easy route and get canned, organic puree
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- For dusting:
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
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In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and set aside for use in a bit.
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In your mixer, add the eggs, brown sugar, applesauce, pumpkin puree and milk. Mix on low, till well combined.
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Add to this all the dry ingredients and combine well.
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Once the batter is ready, fill each doughnut mound in the doughnut baking pan upto 3/4th's the level.
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Bake for 8 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in a doughnut, comes out clean.
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Take the pans out of the oven, remove the doughnuts from the pan and while still warm, roll the same in the cinnamon powder and sugar mixture. (Or you can put the cinnamon and sugar mix in a large Ziploc bag, throw a few doughnuts in at a time, shake and remove.)
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Enjoy!
With one batch we skipped the cinnamon and sugar dusting and chose instead to lather generous layers of chocolate, hazelnut, Nocciolata goodness on top. Oh so yum!
(What??? You don’t know what Nocciolata is? You’re missing out if you haven’t tried this!)
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Love doughnuts? Do you have a favorite type?
Elizabeth @ Being MVP says
Um yes I love donuts! Kind of on the cronut craze right now.
Amber Edwards says
hmmm doughnuts! Those look absolutely delicious! I have a little boy who is wild crazy about pumpkin too, so he would cherish these like crazy.
Dee says
YUMMY! I will have to try these.
Dawn says
Mmmm. Doughnuts… Those look SO good, and I love that they’re baked and not fried.
Jennifer Hiles says
Oh they look so good. My favorite kind of donut is Boston Cream. But I’m always up for a healthier choice (ok, not always but I’m working on it). I like using applesauce in place of butter. I had to go check out what Nocciolata is. Looks yummy. I also entered to win a jar while I was there!
Amanda says
I guess I need to put a donut mold on my wish list because these look so yummy!
Dandi D says
Anything with pumpkin in it sounds delicious this time of year!
Dee Mauser says
Pumpkin cake donuts are one of my favorite donuts. I love the spicy flavors and they’re perfect this time of year. Not just for breakfast but for a snack as well. Yummy!
Aimee Smith says
Hello yummy!!! I want to make these babies asap!!
Ann Bacciaglia says
I can not wait to try making these. I can remember helping my dad make homemade doughnuts when i was a kid and dipping them in icing sugar.
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
Oooo,you had me at pumpkin spice! Wouldn’t this be the perfect treat with a morning coffee!!
Amy Desrosiers says
Yum these look really delicious and perfect for fall! I need to get a donut mold!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
Oh man I wish I was not on low carb. These sound amazing. I so want to try to make donuts. I have never made them before,
Kayla @ TheEclecticElement says
I’ve love a good cream filled donut myself but I, too, do my best to at least limit them to once in awhile. Not only is the wheat and gluten bad for me but the sugar is bad for my fibro. These donuts look pretty darn amazing if you ask me!
Kristin says
Oh my hips do these look amazing. Yummy.
Jennifer Williams says
I am going to have to give these a try. I have been trying to make muffins for a couple days and have screwed them up completely. Hopefully I can get these perfect!
Melissa Pezza says
I love this recipe! Baked doughnuts are just as tasty as fried, but they don’t have all that fat. Love it.
Ronni says
Just when I thought I’d seen everything pumpkin spice flavored… you made these! and now, I MUST as well! 😉
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Oh I so want one for breakfast now!! do you deliver??
Stacie says
These look so yummy! I am all over anything pumpkin spice!
[email protected] The Spring Mount 6 Pack says
Oh these look delicious! My favorite time of the year when all the pumpkin spice comes out!
Penni says
Omg, these doughnuts look amazing – and what a delicious-sounding recipe! I plan to try it asap, in the hope of making peace with my occasional doughnut cravings! Maybe I need not resist them anymore!
Linda Bradshaw says
These look good. I would be willing to give them a try.
ANGELE @shoeboxbegone says
these look sooooooooo good. Thanks for the sharing the recipe!