Dairy and Oil Free Pumpkin Donuts

My Dairy and Oil Free Pumpkin Donuts make an ideal autumn treat to enjoy with family and friends. The deep pumpkin flavor combined with cozy fall spices and maple syrup, finished with a cinnamon sugar topping, will have you craving more. You can also make these donuts completely Guten-Free!

By Rose Huxford

Pumpkins are packed with nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals. As a versatile and nutritious food ingredient, pumpkin enriches many recipes with its flavor and adds a lively hue to your dishes. Due to its high moisture content, pumpkin puree can substitute for oil and help bind ingredients together. When baking with pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie puree), you add fiber, vitamins, and minerals while reducing calories, fat, and cholesterol. My Dairy and Oil Free Pumpkin Donuts provide these health benefits, and no one would guess they contain no oil or dairy.

Dairy and Oil Free Pumpkin Donuts

Yields: 10 donuts

Pre-heat oven: 375 degree F

Prep-time: 5 minutes

Bake-time: ~18 minutes

Total-time: 22 minutes

Equipment: Donut mold, 2 large mixing bowls, flour sifter or fine mesh strainer, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, measuring cups, whisk, spatula, cooling rack, wide medium dish, and a small bowl.

Ingredients

• 1 can or 1 1/4 cup homemade pumpkin puree

• 3/4 cup real maple syrup

• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, or white vinegar

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, date sugar or brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour or 1:1 gluten free baking flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (I use Ceylon Cinnamon)

• 2 tsp pumpkin spice

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp salt

• 14 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp ground corriander

  *If you don't have all of these spices, you can use 3-4 tsp of pumpkin spice or allspice

  Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 3 tbsp dairy free unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 3 tbsp cane sugar

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease your donut pan and set it aside.

3. Mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Let it sit for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture slightly thickens. This will serve as your buttermilk.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and homemade buttermilk.

5. In another mixing bowl, use a flour sifter or a fine mesh strainer to sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch, and salt. This step aids in creating a light and fluffy flour mixture. Next, add all the spices. Use a spatula to stir all the ingredients together.

6. Then, add your dry mixture to the wet mixture. Use the spatula to combine all the ingredients until they are just incorporated—be careful not to overmix!

7. Use a cereal spoon to scoop and carefully add to each of your donut mold. Fill 3/4 of the way full. Then, tap the mold onto the counter to release any air bubbles.

8. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean and the donuts are a nice golden brown.

9. Let them cool in the mold for a few minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool fully.

10. As the donuts cool, you can prepare the cinnamon sugar topping: melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish; I prefer using a wide square dish. In a small bowl, mix the cane sugar and cinnamon together. Combine the sugar mixture with your melted butter.

11. After the donuts have fully cooled, immerse the top of each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Let them sit for a few minutes to set.

12. Enjoy!

By Rose Huxford