Homemade Pumpkin Donuts with Brown Sugar Icing

Soft, warmly spiced pumpkin donuts topped with a sweet brown sugar glaze. These baked donuts are full of pumpkin, cinnamon and cozy fall flavour, without the fuss of frying. The brown sugar glaze sets on top for the perfect sweet finish such a good recipe for a fall morning or afternoon treat.

Prep time: 10 min  |  Cook time: 10 min  |  Total: 20 min | Yield: 12 donuts

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Donuts

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

• ⅓ cup milk

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Glaze

• ¾ cup packed brown sugar

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tablespoon butter

• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla until smooth and well combined.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir just until combined. Avoid overmixing the batter.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan. For an easier and more even method, transfer the batter to a zip-top or piping bag, snip off one corner and pipe it into the donut cavities.

6. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

7. To make the glaze, combine the brown sugar, milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until combined and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

8. Whisk in the vanilla, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt until the glaze is smooth. If necessary, return the saucepan to low heat briefly while whisking to smooth out any remaining lumps.

9. Place the wire rack over a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper to catch the drips. Dip the top of each cooled donut into the brown sugar glaze, then return it to the rack to set.

10. If the glaze becomes too firm while you're dipping the donuts, gently warm it again over low heat until it loosens.

Notes:

No donut pan? You can make these in a muffin pan instead. Fill each muffin cavity about halfway with batter, then dip the tops of the finished muffins into the brown sugar glaze.

Storage: Store the finished donuts in an airtight container.

Glaze tip: The brown sugar glaze will thicken as it sits. If it becomes difficult to dip, a little gentle heat will make it fluid again.