Creme Filled Pumpkin Donut Holes

I told you real pumpkin recipes were coming soon! :) I hope you all aren`t sick of seeing pumpkin flavors everywhere, yet. This is just the start of them for me, so stick with me. Thankfully, all of these pumpkin recipes are great, tasty, and oh-so-Fall.

I`m really excited about today`s post because these donuts are delectable, cute, and SO GOOD. I have been brainstorming about these donuts for months. Little Fall treats right here, people! I basically made pumpkin donut holes and took them to another level...and then, up ANOTHER level. These are baked donuts made in a mini muffin pan, so they`re like mini pumpkin muffins, but their round tops and size make them look like donut holes.

As you can tell by the title, I filled these babies with a creme filling to pair with the pumpkin taste. And, yes, they do taste just as good as they look. I decided donuts need to be glazed, so I glazed them with a maple cinnamon glaze. I chose maple, since it seemed like a Fall thing to do, plus maple pairs well with pumpkin. These donuts are all about this season, so why not add some autumn-themed sprinkles and jimmies? The glaze really make these taste like real donut holes without the deep fried goodness.

These donuts will make your whole kitchen smell amazing. There`s the pumpkin smell and then the maple glaze...gah, these are too good for words. I`m pretty sure I ate half of them by myself. After stuffing my face with them, I shared. :P Hehe. I gave the rest to my sister to share with her college buddies. She came back home and was like, "Give me all your baked goods! My hallmates will eat them all, since they loved your donuts." Well, I may have paraphrased a little, but you get the gist.

If you`re in the midst of finding pumpkin recipes, look no further. Try these! Believe me, you will be very very happy you did. Moist, creme filled pumpkin donuts holes, with a maple cinnamon glaze...you just can`t go wrong with these flavors.

Creme Filled Pumpkin Donut Holes

Sources: 1, 2, 3 | Yields: 27 donut "holes"| Level: Easy -Medium| Total Time: 2 hours | Print

Ingredients: Pumpkin Donuts: §  1 ¾ cups all purpose flour §  2  teaspoons baking powder §   ½ teaspoon salt §  1 ¾ teaspoons pumpkin spice §  1/3 cup vegetable oil §  ½ cup brown sugar §  1 large egg §  1 teaspoon vanilla extract §  ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree §  ½ cup whole milk Cream Filling: §  1/4 cup milk §  1 teaspoon cornstarch §  2 tablespoons vegetable shortening §  4 tablespoons butter, softened §  ½  cups powdered sugar §  ¼  teaspoon vanilla extract Maple Cinnamon Glaze: §  1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, shifted §  1 teaspoon maple syrup §  ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon §  2 tablespoons milk

Materials Needed: -          mini muffin pan(s) -          1 medium bowl -          2 large bowls (1 w/ electric mixer) -          1 small bowl -          2 whisks -          1 rubber spatula -          1 small cookie scoop -          1 small saucepan -          1 wooden spoon -          1 tall cup -          1 pastry bag/sandwich bag -          scissors -          paring knife -          toaster oven (optional) -          stovetop -          cooking spray (Pam)

Directions:

Pumpkin Donuts:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your mini muffin pan with cooking spray/oil.

2.       In a medium, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together.

3.       In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk together until its smooth.

4.       Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients (flour, etc) into the wet ingredients (oil, sugar, etc) until just combined.

5.       Using a small cookie scoop, divide the batter into the muffin tins.

6.       Bake the donuts for 11-13 minutes, or until tops are slightly golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (You can start on Step 8 here.)

7.       Remove donuts from pan and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.

Cream Filling:

8.       While donuts are baking, in a very small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the milk and cornstarch. Constantly stir mixture until it boils. Remove from heat, set aside to cool to room temperature.

9.       In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the shortening and butter until fluffy.

10.   Beat in the powdered sugar.

11.   Add in the vanilla extract and mix.

12.   Stir in the milk/cornstarch mixture.

13.   Place a pastry/sandwich bag inside a tall cup. Scoop the cream into the bag. Set aside.

Filling Donut Holes:

14.   Using a small paring knife, cut a small circle into the center of each donut. (Keep the discards!)

15.   Snip the tip of the sandwich bag. Fill the center with the cream.

16.   (*Optional, but recommended:) Using the discards from the centers of the donuts (they should be very moist), take a little bit and flatten it. Then, use it to cover the top of each donut. Continue with the rest of the donut holes.

17.   (*Optional:) In a toaster oven, or your regular oven, move your rack to the top third of the oven. Bake the donuts on a baking sheet at 350°F for an additional 5-8 minutes, until tops are crisp.

Maple Cinnamon Glaze:

18.    In a small bowl, whisk together the shifted powdered sugar, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, and milk.

19.   Drizzle glaze on top of donut muffins.

20.   Add sprinkles/jimmies/pearls.

*Notes:

-          Best served the same day, but will keep in a loosely covered container for 5 days.

-          You do not have to do steps 16 and/or 17. Placing the tops back on makes them look better when you glaze the tops, so I recommend this step. I baked the donuts some more because I felt the tops were too soft to hold the glaze well for the next few days. However, if you are serving them the day of, you can skip this step!