Baked (Not Fried) Pumpkin Spice Donuts

When I was younger I used to spend Friday nights with my grandparents. My grandmother and I would get up the next morning and make breakfast together for my grandfather and dad. I have great memories of spending time with her in the kitchen Saturday mornings as well as after school and during summers. My grandmother was the one who gave me my love for cooking and baking.

She had gadgets for all kinds of things and no matter what the recipe needed she had a pan or gadget to make it. She even had this cutter with a round piece in the center that you could pop in and out. With it out, you could roll out and cut biscuits. With it in, you could cut donuts and donut holes. Hers was well worn from lots of use. I bet she still has it in a drawer somewhere.

I loved making cake donuts with her on Saturdays. We would mix the dough and roll it out before cutting donut rings and holes. I always snuck a couple raw holes when she wasn’t looking, shhhhh. She had a big pot we would fill with vegetable oil and fry the donuts until golden and then I would shake them in a paper bag to cover them with powdered sugar.

My grandmother is still around but she doesn’t cook anymore. I wish The Kid could have known her back then and shared her love in the kitchen. Every time I cook or bake with The Kid I think about those times with a smile. The other day I was at a kitchen store and I came across a donut pan. It had 6 wells to make a half dozen baked donuts. Pure genius! Baked and not fried, how cool is that!

Of course I had to buy the pan and give it a try. It came with a recipe for basic donuts. I modified it to use pumpkin instead of the oil and buttermilk. The donuts turned out really moist and cake like. If you like iced donuts, you can glaze these with powdered sugar mixed with a little milk or just dust them with a bit of powdered sugar. I liked them plain.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/3 canned pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp almond milk or milk of choice
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add in the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Fill each well in the donut pan about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until the donuts are golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Makes 6 donuts at approximately 136 calories each.

I used coconut oil and almond milk since that’s what I had on hand. You could substitute vegetable oil and regular milk also. I loved the way the donuts smelled with the spices. They made the kitchen smell great! Grandma would be proud.

Do you have a favorite kitchen memory?