These warm spiced mini doughnuts are filled with pumpkin flavour, walnut crunch, coated with melted butter and then topped with cinnamon sugar that will surely make you wish it is pumpkin season all the time. With a wonderfully moist texture, these flavourful baked (not fried) pumpkin doughnuts are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack anytime.
Preheat oven to 180 degree C ( 350 degree F ). Lightly grease 2 donut pans.
In a big bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Then fold in the chopped walnuts.
In a medium size bowl, mix together brown and white sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and mashed pumpkin puree. Beat until completely incorporated.
Pour the WET pumpkin batter into the DRY flour mixture. Mix until JUST combined.
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag or a large ziplock bag. Snip off the tip, about 1/2 inch with a pair of scissors. Pipe circles onto the prepared donut pans. Alternatively, you can spoon the batter into the moulds, but the finished doughnuts may not appear as even. Fill the moulds till 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed gently around the edges. Remove donut pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool about 1 minute. Then remove doughnuts from the pan onto cooling rack.
The doughnuts can be eaten as is, decorated with your favourite glaze or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. I am using cinnamon sugar as the topping.
While doughnuts are still slightly warm, brush the tops with some melted butter and then dip into cinnamon sugar mixture.
Let doughnuts cool completely on a wire rack or enjoy warm.
This recipe makes 14 standard size doughnuts or 48 mini size doughnuts.