mini pumpkin donuts

Are you a little baked out after all that Holiday baking?

I hate to admit it … but I am baked out.

December was spent in the kitchen whipping up eggnog eclairs (numerous batches … a very popular treat), monkey bread, coconut-pecan sticky buns, coconut-date sticky buns, double chocolate gingerbread cookies, sweet & salty brownies, cranberry bliss bars, toffee coconut oreo squares, lemon tarts, chocolate-cranberry tarts, apple chocolate chip spice cake, chocolate ganache cheesecakes, double chocolate pecan tarts, cupcakes (so many cupcakes) … and these.

Pumpkin donuts.

Ridiculously delicious.  These donuts quickly found a place in my stomach.  And my heart.

I found the original inspiration (and recipe) for this on pinterest.  It was the kind of picture that made me go … “yeah … I need to try this”; and then when I clicked on the blog, blueeyedbakers, I was hooked.

It’s a winner of a recipe.

Plus … they are dead easy to make.  The only caveat is that you need a mini donut baking pan.

I know … yet another thing to add to your kitchen.  But believe me … once you make these donuts and try them … you’ll be hooked.  And just like me … you’ll end up making a batch of these every week.  For a month.

And again  … even when you’re all baked out.

Because they’re that good.

mini pumpkin spiced donuts

ingredients:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. buttermilk

Heat your oven to 350 F.  Spray your mini donut pan with non-stick spay.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, canned pumpkin and buttermilk together.  This shouldn’t take too long – you want everything to be nicely mixed together.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves together.

Turn off the stand-mixer, pour in the dry ingredients, and then beat together on the lowest speed.  You want the flour to be incorporated, but you don’t want to over-mix the batter (it’s considered a cake batter, so treat it the same when mixing).

Grab a piping bag (no tip required) and fill it with the batter; then pipe each donut round with the batter.

I only have one donut pan, so I filled the twelve holes and placed the pan in the oven.  Bake for 8 minutes.  The donuts are ready when you press against them and they spring back.

Remove from the oven, and turn them out immediately onto a wire rack.  That’s when I toss my donut pan into the freezer.  I want to cool it down quickly so that I can bake off the rest of the donuts.  I tend to get 18 donuts out of the batter.  18 perfect little bites of joy.

But the work doesn’t end here.

Nope.

Now we make them extra-delicious.

Melted butter + cinnamon sugar = delectable donuts.

cinnamon-sugar coating:

ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Once the butter has melted, take your mini donuts and lightly dunk them in the melted butter, pull them out, shake them a little (get rid of the excess butter), and then put them in your cinnamon-sugar bowl.

In order to not get clumpy sugar, take a large spoon, and spoon the sugar over your donut.  Make sure you spoon over the entire thing.  Take the donut out and place it to cool completely on your wire-rack.

Or eat one immediately.  That’s what I do.

If I still haven’t been able to convince you to give this recipe a chance … here are another couple of reasons:

1.  Since you bake them, rather than fry them, you kitchen smells delightfully like pumpkin and spices, rather than hot oil!

2.  They taste just as good the following day.  Kept in an airtight container at room temperature, you’ll not only have an afternoon treat today … but tomorrow … and the day after.

3.  Baked’s pumpkin chocolate-chip loaf is the most popular recipe on my blog.  So if you’re already using a can of pumpkin purée for the loaf … you might as well make a batch of these donuts as well.  Think about it … you’ll get a double bang for your buck when you buy pumpkin purée.

Are you sold yet?

I thought so!

banana squash chai chocolate chip loaf

Sounds like a mouthful right?

It is.  A delicious, moist, wonderful mouthful.  Oh how I heart this recipe.

Have you ever opened your freezer and found yourself looking at some black bananas and some roasted, mashed squash?

If that’s the case … then make this.  Seriously.  This loaf is so delicious.  I ate (well shared) one of the two loaves in 3 days.  3 days!!!!  It’s the kind of loaf where once you start slicing pieces off you can’t stop.  That is my favourite kind of thing.

I wanted to share this recipe with you today.  I thought we could all use something that isn’t turkey. Or tourtière.  That isn’t a sugar cookie or a ginger cookie.  That has pretty much absolutely nothing to do with the holidays.  It’s the perfect thing to whip up (super quick and simple recipe), pour into a loaf pan and bake … filling your kitchen with all kinds of wonderful.

Your perfect reward for surviving the holidays.

This recipe is  also the perfect example of how I take a recipe and adapt it to my needs.  You can well imagine that almost all of my recipe books start off looking like this:

and then… end up looking like this:

so if you’re missing the squash, don’t like the chai and just feel like a hearty slice of banana bread … check out the ingredients in the unmarked picture … it’ll make one loaf of banana goodness … but the adapted recipe is pretty amazing.  I’m just sayin’…

banana squash chai chocolate chip loaf

ingredients:

4 c. flour, sifted

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/5 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

grated nutmeg (to taste)

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

half medium squash, roasted and mashed

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. chai

1 (heaping) c. chocolate chips

Boil some water and make a mug of chai.  You can use half and then drink half while you’re baking :0)  Thanks to Marysol – I used this amazing chai brand – it’s probably the best chai I’ve tried (merci ma belle Marysol!)

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Spray two loaf pans with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In the bowl of your stand-mixer (or with a hand-held mixer), and using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well; scraping the sides as needed.  Add the mashed banana, squash, buttermilk and chai to the bowl.

Slowly add the flour mixture.  Once it’s kinda mixed together (not fully incorporated), toss in the chocolate chips, and mix those around for about 15 seconds.

Evenly divide the batter between the two loaf pans, and bake on the centre rack for 45 minutes.  Cover each loaf with foil, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes (this will prevent the tops from getting too dark).

You’ll know that the loaf is ready when you pierce it with a knife and the blade comes out clean (well… except for the melted chocolate).  Allow the loaves to cool on a wire rack (leave in the pans for 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely), and then slice off a piece.  Or three.  Yes.  I ate three slices when I made these.  It’s that good.

Banana bread is one of those things that I truly belive gets better after freezing – so wrap it nice and tight in some plastic wrap and save some for another day.  That’s why you need to bake two – one for immediate gratification, and the other for delayed gratification.

baked sunday mornings: monkey bubble bread

bakers note:  please remember that the baked sunday mornings entries don’t include the recipe.  Please click on the link (below) and you’ll be able to find this recipe on the official website.  Gracias!

This has probably been the most … insane baking experience I’ve had to date.

I made this bread 3 times in 4 days.  Seriously.  It is amazing.  Even before it bakes the smell of cinnamon sugar makes your mouth water … and then while it’s baking the smell that emanates from your oven just makes you want to drool.  Oh yeah … and then you actually get to eat it.  It’s best eaten warm.  Right out of the oven.  But I can attest to the fact that it is still FAN-TASTIC at room temperature. 

Everyone … welcome to recipe 3 of baked sunday mornings.  May I present to you Monkey Bread.  The baking god’s gift to instant yeast and dough.  I do not lie.  Sigh.

So three times in almost as many days.  You must be wondering right?  Well … the recipe is pretty simple.  Except.  Yes … there is an exception.  I killed the yeast.

Attempt number one.  Thursday night.  I heated my milk and whisked in the instant yeast.  I was sure I had it … after all, I pulled out my thermometer and checked the temperature.

I should have just used my finger and tested the milk that way.  Sigh.  When I finished mixing and kneading everything together my dough was stiff and didn’t rise.  At all.  I even kept it in my oven overnight.  Nothing.

No go.

Attempt number two.  Friday night (yes.  I make bread on a Friday night… please don’t judge me).  This time I tested the milk with my finger.  Yeast survived!  YAY!  The kneading of the dough went well … I ended up with a silky and sticky (not tacky) dough.  I let it rise for just over an hour. 

It was a thing of beauty.

Step two.  Pull apart the dough into many balls.  Many balls. 

I didn’t get the 60 balls that the recipe book baked explorations dictated I would get – but I got 42.  A decent amount.  Especially after the first failed experience.  I was pleased.

Step three.  I dipped the balls in melted butter.  Greasy fingers.  Happy fingers. 

I then rolled them in a brown sugar – cinnamon mixture.  Happy nose.  A very happy nose. 

And Finally I started layering them in my bundt pan.  A beautiful brick house of dough balls. 

Step four.  Cover the bundt pan with plastic wrap and allow to double in size again.  Perfect.  I decided to leave it for the night and bake it on Saturday morning.  Done.

Saturday morning.  I wake up at 6:20 am to preheat my oven to 350 F.  I place my bundt pan in the middle rack and jump in the shower. 

I smell the smoke. 

I quickly checked my oven and (duh!), my bundt pan has a removable base and so the caramel (from the cinnamon sugar mixture and butter) is dripping and touching the element within the oven.  No problem.  Quick fix – place a cookie sheet on the rack below.  It’ll catch the drippings.

Except.

I picked my flat cookie sheet.  Not one with a lip.  It didn’t catch anything.  And so … more smoke.  Only this time.  FIRE!

Seriously.  With 18 minutes to go – I have a fire in my oven.  At 7 am on a Saturday morning.  Oh goodness … please don’t let the fire alarm go off!

I turn off my oven, pull out the bundt pan (I have to save the monkey bread after all), and pour baking soda on the flame.  Close the oven door and wait.

15 minutes later I turn my oven back on.  Place the bundt pan on a cookie sheet (with a lip), and continue to bake the bread.

Success.

This bread was worth that drama.  And it taught me that I have a real problem.  My first thought when I saw the flame wasn’t for my safety … but rather how I was going to save my bread.  This could be a problem.

After the success (I brought the monkey bread to a holiday party) – I decided to bake it again.  3rd time – 4 days.  Obsessed much.  Totally.

This time I went mini.  As in mini balls in mini bundt pans.

Adorable.  Heck yes.  Just as delicious.  AB- Solutely. 

Worth trying and making today?  Oh my.  Need you really ask?  I mean … I fought through fire to make this.  So worth it.