Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Chocolate Glaze

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Pumpkin Spice Donuts take a delicious baked cake donut flavored with pumpkin and spices and glaze it with chocolate and sprinkles for a tasty fall breakfast or dessert!  This recipe originally published in October 2011.

A platter with four baked pumpkin donuts topped with chocolate glaze and sprinkles.

Nothing says fall like pumpkin and apples.  I feel like I try to fit all of my pumpkin and apple recipes in to September, October, and November so be prepared to see a lot of them this fall!

I started making baked donuts about 12 years ago and I really can’t get enough of them.  I’m not a huge fried donut fan so finding a donut that’s more cake like and that doesn’t hold a ton of oil is much more appealing to me.

I’ve been wanting to make pumpkin spice baked donuts because they just sounded like they would be a great fall breakfast with a mug of hot coffee.   Plus putting a chocolate glaze on top is a fun pairing.

A glass plate topped with mini Pumpkin Donuts topped with chocolate glaze.

Ingredients:

  • flour
  • brown sugar
  • butter
  • baking powder
  • pumpkin pie spice
  • cinnamon
  • salt
  • pumpkin puree
  • milk
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • chocolate
  • vegetable oil
  • sprinkles

To make the donuts preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

In a medium bowl cream the butter and brown sugar together.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Add the pumpkin and milk and mix until smooth.

Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a thick dough forms.

Place the batter into a piping bag and pipe into the donut pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes then remove the donuts from the pan and cool completely.

To make the chocolate glaze combine the vegetable oil and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip the donuts into the chocolate and top with sprinkles.  Set on the wire rack for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.

Pin Image: A platteer with four pumpkin donuts topped with chocolate glaze and a pumpkin behind them, text, a cutting board with a cup of flour, abowl of pumpkin, a bowl of spices, an egg, a cup of brown sugar, a bag of cocolate chips, and a stick of butter.

For several years pumpkin has been difficult to find in the market in the fall.  Unfortunately it once again has been hard to find at the grocery stores in my area.  I checked 3 different stores and none of them had pumpkin.  I finally found someone unloading two cases of pumpkin on a Sunday morning and stocked up to get me through the next few months.

The first thing I made with my pumpkin were these pumpkin spice donuts.  They made the whole kitchen smell good as they were baking.  My son helped me make them and when we poured the pumpkin pie spice into the bowl he said, “Whoa, what is that smell?”
A donut pan with 6 pumpkin donuts in it.

Do I need a donut pan to make this recipe?

If you want them to look like donuts then you really need a donut pan.  They are cheap to buy and they last a long time.  I have these ones and have been using them for 12 years and they still look and work great.  However, you can bake these in a muffin tin but they will be donut muffins instead of simply muffins.  They will taste similiar but they won’t look like a donut.

I don’t have pumpkin pie spice, can I use something else?

Pumpkin pie spice is something I try to always have on hand because I use it a lot but you can make your own with spices you probably have in your house.  Combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves (or allspice) in a bowl and use this for your pumpkin pie spice.

Can I fry these instead of baking them?

No you really can’t.  They won’t work as traditional donuts because they are made to be baked and not fried.

Do I have to glaze them with chocolate?  I don’t really like chocolate and pumpkin.

No!  There are definitely other options out there.  The easiest would be a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze with a little vanilla and a little cinnamon in it.  Just dip the donuts in and let the glaze harden on top.  Another tasty option would be a caramel drizzle or a butterscotch glaze on top.   Have fun with these!

A platter with four pumpkin donuts topped with chocolate glaze.

We couldn’t wait to eat these donuts and for good reason.  These donuts were amazing!  The texture was cake like, they had a light pumpkin flavor, and were perfectly spiced.
The chocolate glaze on top with the sprinkles only made the donuts better.  My husband was thrilled when he saw me making them as I haven’t made donuts in a while.  Plus because they are baked instead of fried they are much healthier then donut store donuts.

More Pumpkin Recipes:

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Bite into one of these amazing Pumpkin Spice Donuts dipped in Chocolate Glaze

Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Chocolate Glaze

Delicious Pumpkin Spice Donuts baked in the oven then dipped in chocolate glaze and topped with sprinkles!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 14 donuts
Calories: 161kcal
Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 c. brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2/3 c. canned pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 oz. chocolate chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a donut pan with baking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
  • In a medium bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar.
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  • Add the pumpkin and milk and mix well to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms.
  • Place the batter in a zip top bag and snip off the end. Pipe the batter into the donut pan filling the pan 3/4 of the way full. Make sure you pipe it in because the batter will hold its shape.
  • Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the donut springs back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
  • To make the glaze melt the chocolate in the microwave with the oil in 20 second intervals, stirring well after each interval until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
  • Dip the donuts into the chocolate glaze and top with sprinkles. Let the donuts sit for 15 minutes until the chocolate hardens. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Brewer and The Baker

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 264mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g
A platteer with four pumpkin donuts topped with chocolate glaze and a pumpkin behind them.

11 Comments

  1. Mmmmmmmmm…donuts! A great excuse to pull out a can of pumpkin! I’m so happy that it’s finally fall!

  2. I am sooo making these! I’m TICKED I’m out of town the next 2 weekends…they’ll have to wait a few weeks, but consider it done! They look pretty calorie-conscious, too. I can’t imagine the nutrition stats are too bad (not that that would stop me! 😉

  3. Yum, that looks fantastic! I also, need a donut pan even more now! If you have the chance, come by & link this & anything else you have up at Makin’ You Crave Monday over at MrsHappyHomemaker.com!

  4. This is a tasty reminder that I need a donut pan. I am really missing out on some delicious goodies-especially these pumpkin ones. Yum!

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