Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

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.