As Hurricane Sandy was getting ready to pummel the east coast, all the news outlets were telling us to prepare and make sure we have flashlights and batteries as well as a good supply of food and water. I was completely prepared -- I had a flashlight that also was a radio and worked as a light beam, I also had additional flashlights and batteries in case a neighbor needed one. I was well stocked with non-perishable foods, I had many gallons of water, and yes, Scout the Dog, Miss Mimi and Luna the Cat were set with their staples. Yet something was missing. Standing in front of my pantry shelves reviewing what was there, the cans of pumpkin puree came right into my vision line. Hmmm, if the power were to go out, having a comforting treat or two might help with the blow. When I came upon a recipe for Baked Pumpkin Donuts it was obvious what was next! A quick trip to Sur La Table, two donut pans later, and it was "time to make the donuts!" Besides tasting yummy, baking donuts is so simple! The following recipe was found on the King Arthur Flour website.
Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Makes 12-14 donuts
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Canned Pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
(if you don't have, you can use: 3/4 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 tsp each nutmeg and ground ginger)
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
Preheat Oven to 350*
Put the first 7 ingredients into a mixer and blend until smooth.
Slowly add the flour, stirring until smooth.
Spray two (2) donut pans with Baker's Joy or a similar non-stick spray. Fill each space 3/4 full with the batter -- using a tablespoon ice-cream scoop makes this easier.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove and let the donuts stand for 5-minutes until the edges loosen.
** if you want to make these as muffins, please bake for 23-25 minutes.
