Wildflower Pumpkin Donuts

I used to love summer, I really did and a part of me always will. The slower pace. The family time. The glorious sunshine… but to be honest, I have become more and more drawn to the cooler, crisp breezes of Autumn. There is just something beautiful about leaves turning gold and letting go. Throwing on a hoodie and a pair of comfy jeans. Sipping on hot cocoa or warm apple cider. Now, I am definitely not one of those “pumpkin spice everything” kinda girls. Or at least not yet. But Autumn is a time of change and change can be such a good thing for our souls sometimes.

With the change that the Autumn season brings, I find that I am also adjusting my culinary skills accordingly. Root vegetables such as pumpkin, squash and sweet potato are some of my favourite comfort foods. Not to mention pumpkin is such a versatile veggie that I can incorporate it into both my savory and sweet dishes.

I remember going to Fall Fairs or Pumpkin Farms as a child and even as an adult and buying these mini pumpkin donuts sprinkled with copious amounts of ohhh so messy and finger licking good, icing sugar. I can almost still smell the freshly baked aroma wafting out of the paper bag they came in. One dozen of bite-sized and oh so quickly disappearing goodness.

I’ll be honest, if someone were to offer me a bag of warm pumpkin donuts right about now, I would probably have a pretty hard time declining. However, here is also the thing. As much as I allow myself indulgences once in awhile, I try hard to avoid using refined sugar in most of my recipes.

This is why I love using raw, unpasteurized honey in many of my baked goods. And besides, Wildflower Pumpkin Donuts just has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? I don’t have one of those fancy donut pans, so I get creative. I have been known to stab each donut with the end of a rolling pin to get the same effect. At the end of the day, all that really matters is how yummy they are!

Here’s my twist on creating the perfect, little pumpkin donut, sweetened with nature’s sugar, of course!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup BY’s Wildflower Honey
¼ cup milk or almond milk
1 egg room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°
Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl, set aside
Mix remaining ingredients in medium bowl
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients
Spoon into greased donut pan
Or use my tried and true muffin pan/
rolling pin method, filling less than half full

* I find using a homemade flour made of nuts, coconut and oats makes the donuts much softer whereas regular white flour tends to make them more dense
* I would also highly recommend doubling this recipe if you have teenagers in the house!

Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until slightly browned
Cool and remove from pan using a butter knife
If you prefer, combine cinnamon and icing sugar to sprinkle on top for that authentic, Autumn Fair/Pumpkin Patch feeling.

That’s it! So easy, right? Now you can sit back and relax. Pop these little, golden nuggets into your mouth while sitting by the fire and you’ve got a recipe for the perfect, Autumn night!

 

Ullie Kowcun

 

Ullie is a Canadian poet who began writing as a young girl, bringing her imaginations to life with her pen. You can see her work through her publisher or her Instagram.