Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
By Lizzie on August 28, 2018
Is it Fall yet? 🙂 Well, considering the fact that it is still almost 100 degrees every day here in Florida, I am going to have to pretend it’s cool outside, turn my air conditioning way down, and bake lots of Fall inspired treats 🙂 I don’t know why, but pumpkin desserts are some of my favorite things to indulge in when it’s Fall. Pumpkin has very little flavor, but it’s the seasonal spices you add to any recipe that reminds me of cooler days, sweaters, and watching the leaves change 🙂
I am in love with donuts…all kinds of donuts…big or small…filled or plain…baked or fried. To me, a donut is the perfect portioned sweet treat. If you tell yourself you can eat just one, and I know myself too well to think I ever will, you have the perfect few bites in a neat little package 🙂
I have to say that frying just isn’t my thing! It’s not that I care about a dessert being really healthy, even though I eat healthy meals and do make healthy desserts at times. 🙂 But, when it comes to baking, I am in love with over the top rich and sinfully sweet treats. On the other hand, baked donuts I have found, can be just as rich and luscious as the standard fried variety. If it weren’t for the glaze on these beauties, these pumpkin donuts may actually be considered healthy…but, I just wasn’t going to leave well enough alone 🙂 I created a really yummy maple cream cheese glaze to dunk the donuts in after they have cooled, and boy oh boy, do they take these baked yummies to a whole new level of deliciousness. I hope you love them as much as I do!! The recipe makes a lot of glaze, so don’t be afraid to go crazy in the dunking stage! You will need a few baked donut pans in order to make these. They are a great staple in your baking equipment stash!
Choose the very best ingredients for all of your baking!
The batter was very thick with my first try, so I added some extra milk and vanilla to thin it out a bit!
I used a piping bag to make it extra easy to fill the donut pans. You can spoon the batter in, if you don’t have a piping bag.
Smooth the tops out with an offset spatula and give the pans a few raps on the counter after they are filled to remove any air bubbles.
They have a light orange color and will puff up when they are baked.
Remove them from the pan after cooling for a few minutes. Place on some wax paper while you make the glaze.
Beat all of the glaze ingredients until very smooth and creamy.
Deeply dunk the cooled donuts into the glaze so they are heavily coated. The more the better 🙂
I couldn’t help myself. I had to take a bite as soon as they were dunked. 🙂
I used three different types of orange sprinkles to really make them look like Fall 🙂
You know how I love close up shots 🙂
They are so scrumptious!
I love the pop of color from the orange sugar beads.
Happy early Fall 🙂
Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Makes: 12 donuts Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes
Ingredients
Donuts
4 tablespoons unsalted softened butter
1/2 cup packed Dixie Crystals Brown Sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1/4 cup, plus 3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons whole milk
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. If your donut pans are non stick, lightly spray or grease them anyway to ensure the donuts come out of the pan.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, or using a hand held mixer, place the softened butter and brown sugar. Mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until blended. Add in the pumpkin, and vanilla and mix together.
Whisk together all of the remaining dry ingredients in another bowl.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the batter until incorporated. Make sure not to over mix or the donuts will become rubbery.
Spoon the batter into a large piping bag. Cut the tip off of the bag so the opening is about 1/2 inch wide. Fill each donut well until it’s almost full. Rap the pans on the counter a few times and smooth with an offset spatula.
Place the pans on a baking sheet and bake in your preheated oven for 5 minutes.
Rotate the pans and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the donuts spring back in the middle when you touch them.
Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Place the donuts on a wax paper lined baking pan so you can prepare to dunk them.
Make the glaze
Place the softened cream cheese in your mixer and use a whisk attachment.
Add the confectioners sugar and mix until it is smooth.
Add in the maple syrup and milk and beat until all the lumps are gone and the mixture is very smooth and creamy.
Dunk the cooled donuts into the glaze.
Sprinkle sanding sugar, sprinkles or sugar pearls…or your favorite topping.
If you don’t eat all the donuts, keep in the fridge for a day or so in an airtight container. Then, you can wrap in wax paper and foil and freeze for up to a month or two if you have any leftovers.
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