Now that I have test-driven it, I would have to say they should probably be called mini muffins, not baked donuts. But whatever you call them, they are good and easy - just be sure you have a crowd on hand to woof them down as soon as they're made, as they are best warm and fresh.
Spicy Pumpkin Baked Donut Holes
Dry ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Wet ingredients
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/3 cup buttermilk (you can substitute sour cream)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and spray mini-muffin tins (1 large 24-muffin pan or 2 12-muffin pans). In a medium-sized bowl, measure and mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients, mixing well. Fold in dry ingredients just until blended. Drop into muffin tins, using all the batter (it will fill all 24 pans.)
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Immediately melt 3/4 stick butter in a bowl, and in a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Dip top of each muffin in butter, then in sugar mixture; flip over and dip bottom in butter, then sugar mixture to coat. Place on wire rack or serving plate. Alternatively, you can glaze them with a traditional powdered sugar/milk glaze, which will hold up a little better than the butter and cinnamon-sugar dip. Makes 2 dozen bite-size muffins/donut holes.
Happy baking!
