Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple Glaze

Every year in the Fall, my mom made doughnuts. These were a real treat for us. Our favorite parts were the holes. The only problem was that they disappeared too quickly!

Fast forward an unspecified number of years (because I don’t want you to be able to approximate my age). I met a wonderful friend who gave me a recipe for “Spud Nuts”–doughnuts made with mashed potatoes. Yes! The more starch, the better! (It is the secret to truly delectable baked goods, don’t ya know. Well, starch and fat. And these doughnuts fit the bill perfectly!) But I digress.

So anyhow, I started using my leftover mashed potatoes for a higher purpose. And then I had a brilliant thought. “What if I used PUMPKIN instead of mashed potatoes?”

Then I thought, “What if I put MAPLE GLAZE on top of these doughnuts?” Thus, Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple Glaze were born.

If you have never made doughnuts before, don’t be afraid! Yes, there is hot oil involved, but you are careful in the kitchen, so you can totally handle it.

Here’s how this works:

You mix up the dough and then roll it out about 1/2 inch thick. Then you use a large cup to cut out the doughnuts. I have found that those little medicine cups that come with children’s Tylenol are perfect for making the holes. Observe.

When you are done cutting out all your doughnuts, they will look like this:

You will have leftover dough, and you can squish it together and roll it out again. However, each time you do this, the dough will get tougher. So if you can, instead of rolling it out, try to piece it together and then cut out more doughnuts. And if all else fails, you can just cut out a whole bunch of doughnut holes with the scraps.

Now comes the frying. There is a fantastic appliance that make this much less scary. It is the Presto CoolDaddy Cool-touch Deep Fryer. We have had two of these over the course of about 12 years, and they are awesome! They make frying so easy and SAFE! The cord is attached magnetically, so if a kid runs past and catches on the cord, it will just disconnect from the fryer instead of pulling the whole thing off the counter. Plus, the lid latches closed, so that is another great safety feature. Using the basket in the fryer makes it REALLY easy to remove the doughnuts and the holes without having to try to grab each one with your tongs.

Another option I have used is the Rival S12P 12-Inch Electric Skillet. This is great because you can fry more doughnuts at a time. I also love it because, like the fryer, you can control the temperature of the oil and don’t have to guess if it is too hot or too cold. This does not have a breakaway cord, so I would suggest using this when kids are not around.

Once your oil is heated up, you gently place the doughnuts in and watch them. Using tongs, flip them over to make sure each side is browning well. When light golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to cool.

The doughnut holes take a special technique. Once they start to fry, they pick their favorite side and don’t want to flip over. So I just use metal tongs and constantly stir them so they will roll over in the oil and get cooked on all sides.

But it is all worth it, because in the end, you get this!

Hold on a sec. Let’s talk about the glaze for just a minute. It’s REALLY easy to make. All you use is powdered sugar, real maple syrup, and water. Don’t skip the glaze, because it is what makes the doughnuts AH-MA-ZING.

So during this annual season of “Pumpkin-palooza,” make sure to save some pumpkin for these doughnuts! Everyone will love you, guaranteed 🙂

(The love is not actually guaranteed. Levels of love may vary. If amount of love is less than desired, please notify me immediately, and I will rush some love right your way.)

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Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple Glaze

Author: Melissa Howell

Ingredients

• 1 package 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree hot
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour divided

For the maple glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp. maple syrup
• water to thin

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, proof yeast in warm water for about ten minutes, until frothy.
2. While yeast is proofing, add milk and butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until milk is slightly scalded (will look bubbly) on the bottom.
3. Remove from heat and add sugar, hot pumpkin, and cinnamon. Mix and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
4. Add egg, salt, and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture and beat well.
5. Add the pumpkin/milk mixture and beat well.
6. If using an electric mixer, switch to a dough hook for this step. Add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour and mix until a slightly sticky dough is formed.The dough should barely stick to your fingers.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
8. Punch down and roll out 1/2" thick onto a heavily floured surface.
9. Use a large cup to cut into doughnuts and a small medicine cup to cut out the holes.
10. Rest doughnuts and holes for 30 minutes.
11. Heat oil (at least 2 inches) to 375 degrees.
12. Carefully place doughnuts and holes into oil in batches, frying and flipping so that both sides brown evenly.
13. Remove from oil and set on paper towel to cool.
14. When cool, drizzle with maple glaze.

For the glaze

1. Mix the powdered sugar and maple syrup together. Add water to thin to desired consistency.

Get your fryer and skillet here! And be sure to scroll down for your pinnable images!