Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

This is Amanda from High Heels to Hot Wheels! Hope y’all are enjoying this fall weather!

A few weeks ago we took a family trip to the store. I generally enjoy doing the grocery shopping sans husband and child for several reasons. I prefer to do the shopping for the family, because no matter how specific the list detailing all the things that we “need” is, Drew and Hunter will always come back with most of my list, but about $60 worth of stuff on their own list. Now, I am not trying to be any kind of grocery Nazi or ban packaged foods all together, but I find it completely unnecessary to buy cinnamon toast waffles, chocolate chip waffles, blueberry waffles, Scooby Doo fruit snacks, Star Wars fruit snacks, chocolate donuts, powdered donuts…….you get what I’m trying to tell you?!

On another trip we went “as a family”. I thought it might be good to divide and conquer since we literally were out of everything!!! Drew and Hunter were armed in the race car cart (thank God I didn’t have to maneuver that crazy contraption around) and the first order of business was to wait on the deli meat. I thought it would be a great job for them so that I could knock out at least half the list while they waited. Clearly I didn’t consider that the bakery filled with fresh donuts, sugary pastries, cookies and seasonal candy would be there pass time while they waited because by the time they found me, not only did we have deli meat, we had a half dozen chocolate glazed donuts and a bag of Hershey bars and one cookie crumb faced little Bear.

So, now I’m going to get around to the point. When I say my child has a love for donuts, I don’t mean that he kind of loves donuts, I mean that he sleeps at night dreaming about the donut that he will remind he wants to eat the second he comes out of his room. Knowing his love for that sticky treat, I wouldn’t dare deny him a donut every now and then, but when daddy leaves town the day after buying him 6!!! sticky treats and leaving me alone with the donut monster……..that kinda peeves me just a little.

To drive my point home even further, I find it a little overindulgent to “go out for donuts” one Sunday morning just a short week later and come home with yet another 6 just to contend with the same request every morning that next week. I’m not going to eat one, so that leaves 6 donuts between one big person and one little person that would like to eat all six at one time if we let him. So for the sake of kindness (and for my own sanity), I just threw caution to the wind and let the little monster eat as many donuts that day as he wanted…..AND HE DID. I even just went so far as to make some, too, with the hope that the donut craze would subside at least for a few days. I’m proud to report that the word “donut” hasn’t been muttered for the last two weeks, but I’m pretty sure I have forever banned Drew and Hunter from grocery shopping again!

Pumpkin Spice Baked Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
!For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add sugar and stir to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine with a large spoon. Stir only until flour is no longer dry.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut pan or mold with cooking spray. Fill each mold about 2/3 of the way full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool almost completely. While still warm, top with *Cinnamon Sugar Topping* (see below)
!To make Baked Donut Holes
Make batter as instructed above. I used my Babycakes Cake Pop Maker per instructions and then tossed with Cinnamon Sugar while still warm. (see below).
!For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Place sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag and shake well to mix. While donuts are still warm, but not hot, shake sugar over donuts to coat. For the donut holes, while still warm, toss in the plastic bag with the cinnamon sugar.