Pumpkin Streusel Donuts

Recipe From: Laura

Warm, tender perfectly spiced pumpkin donuts topped with a brown sugar cinnamon strudel & vanilla glaze......mmmmmm...... you had me at pumpkin!  These pumpkin donuts are amazing and kids gobbled em right up!   I always look for ways to make a recipe healthier so I used a homemade spice cake mix using gluten free flour -see below for recipe.   And guess what? You don't even need a donut pan.  See my notes as to how I concocted a way to make these delicious donuts using a muffin tin! It would also be fun for kids to make these using a mini donut pan, getting a kick out of such cute, tiny lil bite size desserts all of their own 

1 box spice cake mix *for a healthier donut, I make my own dry cake mix. See below*

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin spice *see bottom of recipe for making your own

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Struesel topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour * gluten free can be used *

1/2  tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin spice* see below for recipe*

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs and butter. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on low until all ingredients are smoothly combined. Batter will be thick, and slightly sticky. Mix together the struesel: in a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and spices with a fork. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and combine. The struesel will be crumbly.

Fill the donut pan: Spoon in a few teaspoons of batter into each donut well. Smooth the batter out, it should be about 1/2 to 2/3 full.  If using a larger/giant size muffin tin, dont fill to the top since the batter on the top seems to not quite get done.  Then top with the struesel crumble - about a tablespoon for each donut.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Gently loosen from the pan using a fork, and lift out. Cool on a rack.

Glaze: combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir together until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the donuts. 

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**  For healthier donut, I make it from scratch using this recipe but with gluten free flour.   http://iambaker.net/homemade-spice-cake-mix/    Just don't add in the wet ingredients this homemade cake mix calls for.

**Since I didnt have a donut pan, I just used a bigger size muffin pan. Then took approx 12 in. or so of aluminum foil, folded in half, then rolled it into the size I wanted for my "donut hole".  (see photo)  I did this for each muffin cup. Then spread pumpkin donut batter around the aluminum foil and baked it with the aluminum foil still in the muffin tin. 

Pumpkin Spice

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon cloves

Combine cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves in a small bowl. Stir or whisk until well combined. Store leftovers in an airtight container, will keep for months.