Salted maple pumpkin baked donuts
Soft, warmly spiced pumpkin donuts made with browned butter and pure maple syrup, then dipped in a salted maple glaze. Baked instead of fried for an easy fall treat with plenty of pumpkin and maple flavor.
Makes: 10-12 donuts I Prep: 20 minutes I Bake: 11-14 minutes
Baked pumpkin donuts
Ingredients:
For the Pumpkin Donuts
170 g (3/4 cup) pumpkin purée
113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
100 g (1/2 cup packed) dark brown sugar
60 g (3 tbsp) pure maple syrup
2 large eggs, room temperature
60 g (1/4 cup) whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
190 g (1 ½ cups) all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ fine sea salt
For the Maple Glaze
120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
45 g (2 tbsp) pure maple syrup
15-30 g (1-2 tbsp) whole milk or heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of fine sea salt
flaky sea salt, for finishing
instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter or grease a donut pan.
Brown the butter. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the milk solids turn deeply golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, browned butter, dark brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and gently fold just until combined. Do not overmix.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or large zip-top bag. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling each about ¾ full.
Bake for 11-14 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing.
Make the maple glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream. Add additional milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but fluid enough for dipping.
Dip the top of each cooled donut into the maple glaze, allow the excess to drip off, then return it to the cooling rack.
Immediately finish each donut with a small sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Allow the glaze to set for about 20-30 minutes before serving.
notes:
Maple Syrup: For the strongest maple flavor, use a dark or robust pure maple syrup.
Glaze Consistency: Keep the glaze fairly thick. You want an opaque coating that sits on top of the donuts rather than a thin glaze that disappears into them.
Don’t overmix: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients only until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can make baked donuts dense.
Flaky Salt: Don’t skip the flaky sea salt. It balances the sweetness of the maple glaze and gives these their signature salted-maple flavor.
Storage: Store the glazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them and bring to room temperature before serving.