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Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with Caramel Icing & Toasted Pecans have a wonderful texture and terrific flavor. Perfect for an autumn treat!
Are you all pumpkin’d out yet? I hope not because I’m just getting started! I was playing with a 2 ingredient pumpkin ice cream – but it’s hard as a rock. Unfortunately it needs more fat and sugar – I guess I’ll keep trying. But the day is not a total loss because these Pumpkin Doughnuts with Caramel Icing & Toasted Pecans are completely fantastic!
The doughnuts are moist, but not too spongy, they hold together beautifully and are not overly sweet. The caramel icing and toasted pecans are the perfect topping for these delicious doughnuts. Want to guess how fast these disappeared? Yup … really, really fast.
What can you do with leftover canned pumpkin?
This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups pumpkin but the can holds about 2 cups. I usually take the leftover pumpkin and freeze it in 1 tablespoon size mounds. Once frozen drop the pumpkin in a freezer bag and save it for a smoothie. This also works great with tomato paste. I freeze everything! Don’t you just love opening a can of Libby’s pumpkin and glancing at the ingredient list – 100% pure pumpkin. That’s it! I’m all over that!
Another way to use up extra canned pumpkin is to make our easy, healthy and delicious Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. If you’re still looking for ideas, check out our post with 23 Brilliant Recipes using Canned Pumpkin for plenty of inspiration!
My doughnut pan has been lonely for a long, long time. Not anymore!
This recipe made about 18 regular size doughnuts. They are so easy to make and bake and you can top them with just about anything. Try a cinnamon sugar mixture, a simple cinnamon glaze or go all amazingly delicious and drizzle with caramel icing and toasted pecans.
Once you make these pumpkin doughnuts, you’ll want to make them again and again!
I will make these pumpkin doughnuts again soon, and especially when I want to impress somebody or if I need a dependable recipe for an office gathering. I cannot make these without a plan for sharing getting rid of them – because I would – get rid of them all by myself!
I tried to share these with my son and daughter-in-law but they declined. If only they knew what they missed on this one! My husband’s co-workers were happy to be my stand-in culinary-consultants. They LOVED these doughnuts!
What’s not to love … right?
I think these might be pretty terrific as muffins too. If you don’t have a doughnut pan – don’t let that stop you!
“Donut” or “Doughnut?” I don’t think it really matters!
Thanks for PINNING!
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Pumpkin Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the caramel icing:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup milk (more or less for desired consistency)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup toasted pecans, for garnish
Instructions
To prepare the doughnuts:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease a doughnut pan with a cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, baking powder and flour.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil eggs, sugar and pumpkin. Beat on low speed until smooth and well blended.
- Add the flour and mix on low until smooth, do not over beat.
- Fill each of the doughnut wells with ¼ cup of batter. They should be about ¾ full.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Check using a toothpick inserted into the center. It should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to rest about 5 minutes, then gently lift around the edge and place on a wire rack to cool.
To prepare the icing:
- In a small saucepan, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Add the butter and milk and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 90 seconds, no more, no less.
- Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Beat the icing with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken. Add the vanilla and salt and continue beating until the icing is like thick honey, about 1 or 2 minutes.
- Immpediately spoon or spread over the tops of the doughnuts and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.
Recipe Notes
- Doughnut recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
- Caramel Frosting adapted from Allrecipes
- Icing will set up completely within a few hours
Nutrition
Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Maple Pumpkin Butter – deliciously rich, velvety smooth, not too sweet, and perfectly wonderful slathered on toast, biscuits, muffins, pancakes, waffles or stirred into your morning oatmeal. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies ~ soft and sweet, with plenty of pumpkin flavor and pumpkin pie spice, these easy to make cookies are the perfect fall bite! Click HERE to get the recipe.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia
Brenda says
Can you use almond flour instead of regular flour?
Brenda says
Could you use almond flour instead?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Brenda. I have not tested these with almond flour so I can’t say for certain. If you want a gluten-free option I would try a 1 to 1 flour. Good luck!
Patricia Ohlhoff says
Tricia,
Would you please give or send me the caramel icing recipe? I don ‘t see it included in the donut recipe.
Thanks so much!!
Tricia Buice says
Hi Patricia! Oops – I recently converted some of my recipes to another program and this one must have gotten dropped. I’ll have to add it back into the post – thanks for letting me know!
michael says
Your donuts looks great Tricia!! I could eat one right now 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Michael! I’m going to make them again this week for an office function. They are pretty tasty!
Susan says
My problem would be ‘getting rid of them’ all by myself too 🙂 They look delicious, Tricia! Love the toasted pecan glaze.
Betty says
These looked so good I had to make them! They are irresistible- I’m trying hard to save them for tomorrow’s breakfast. I have concluded that I need to buy another doughnut pan so I don’t have to bake just six at a time. 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Yeah – so glad you liked them and thanks for the heads up on the recipe error – fixing now! I’m making these again this week to take to an office breakfast. They are pretty terrific!
Kirsty says
Tricia these pumpkin doughnuts look amazing! I too own doughnut pans and only pulled them out of the cupboard recently for the first time and tried my hand at some cinnamon/sugar doughnuts. Suffice to say, I’ve popped the pans back in the cupboard, for fear of vastly increasing my caloric intake!!! They were so (read, too) easy to make! I must make these pumpkin ones though, with the failsafe plan of taking them into work to share with colleagues. I have to re-stock my Libby’s levels first, as with Maureen I buy my cans from USA Foods as well. Oh, I take it, its 3 Tablespoons of butter in the icing recipe? : ) Kirsty xx
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Kirsty – it is supposed to be 3 tablespoons butter – fixing now! Thanks for stopping by – hope you love them!
Monica says
Donuts are some of the best things to look at but I am just extra loving your icing, Tricia! The color and flavors go so well with your pumpkin donuts and I love anything with an extra sprinkling of nuts. You make me want to dig out my donut pan and make some. Why is there so little time and so little room for all the things we want to eat and make!!
2 Sisters Recipes...by Anna and Liz says
These look so yummy! We don’t think we could control ourselves with donuts hanging around especially the ones made by you Tricia! Oh and the photos are stunning! – as usual… Have a great weekend!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Those donuts are beautiful! Can you believe we can’t buy canned pumpkin in Australia? I can buy it from the US import store for 10 times its value or cook my own. I always end up cooking my own because I’m too cheap to pay for the can and then the shipment.
I’m going to try these – too pretty not to!
Tricia Buice says
That is so sad Maureen! No canned pumpkin down under 🙁 Come visit and we’ll send you home with some! Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a great weekend.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Exactly! What’s not to love!! These baked doughnuts look soooooooooo pretty and festive!
Tricia Buice says
Being bad can be oh so good! Have a lovely weekend Angie 🙂
Dom says
so many pumpkin recipes starting to come through but I think so far these gorgeous doughnuts look the best… we don’t tend to do the whole pumpkin puree thing in the UK so it’s nice to see! I have still yet to get myself a doughnut baking tray thingy and now i’m so tempted by these… gorgeous pictures!
Tricia Buice says
Doughnuts are like mini-cakes to me and I’m always wondering – are they a breakfast item, dessert, snack? The sweeter they get the more I think they should be dessert. Hope you have a great weekend Dom!
cheri says
Hi Tricia, beautiful looking doughnuts, love this time of year. If I lived closer I would be a taste taster……
Tricia Buice says
I would love to have you as a taste tester Cheri. But we live so far away 🙁 Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Karen Harris says
I have to admit that I am not a big pumpkin fan. I do like pumpkin pie and that Libby’s pumpkin roll will make me blow my diet anytime I get within 10 feet of one, but the pumpkin craze is lost on me. Now after saying that I will say that these have me craving that spicy, pumpkin flavor. These donuts could easily be #3 on my pumpkin list. Love donuts, especially donuts with caramel icing and toasted pecans.
Tricia Buice says
I’m with you Karen – some pumpkin things just don’t do it for me. I am not at all crazy about savory pumpkin recipes – just desserts – go figure! Have a great long weekend. Has it snowed in Denver yet?
Becky Green says
OH MY!!! What is wrong with your son & daughter-in-law? HOW could they pass up “mom’s” cook ‘in? Shame on them! LOL These look WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 Nope, I’m NOT all “Pumpkin’ed out” YET!!! LOL I’ll keep watching for MORE pumpkin recipes too! 😀
Tricia Buice says
Ha – ha you are so funny! Pumpkin desserts are so yummy! Have a great weekend Becky!
sue/the view from great island says
Great colors in this post! I love the caramel icing, mine always comes out a bit too pale, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, I’ll try your recipe instead next time 🙂
Thanks for giving my doughnuts a shout out <3
Tricia Buice says
You are right Sue – I think the icing can be colorless – I was thinking about using dark brown sugar next time – the extra molasses may make the difference. Let me know if you try it! Have a great weekend – can’t wait to see what you cook up next!