Brown Butter Pumpkin Donuts

I really resisted the whole baked donut thing. For a long time. Cast them aside as imposters. Heretics. Then one day as I was mindlessly perusing Bed, Bath & Beyond I spied a donut tin heaped on top of a messy pile of towels and tooth brush holders and shower caps. I held it up and inspected it. I had visions of me in pajamas, making donuts in under an hour, teeth unbrushed, hair disheveled, glass of champagne in hand…

Not a bad vision, right? And so we find ourselves here today.

I am super excited to have these cute little pumpkin donuts participate in a virtual pumpkin party. What’s that you say? What’s a virtual pumpkin party?? Over one hundred food bloggers have come together to create just as many recipes all based around pumpkin. There are cakes, pudding, soup, stuffing, smoothies, fudge, pasta, dumplings, risotto and yep, these brown butter pumpkin donuts. I have links to everyone’s recipes below….scroll just below my pumpkin donuts recipe! A special THANK YOU to Sara at Cake Over Steak + Aimee at Twigg Studios for planning + organizing!!

Before We Get Started:

• Donut Tin. Invest in one. There are plenty of donut recipes out there and you don’t have to get dressed to eat donuts. I don’t think you need any more incentive than that.
• Butter. We need a fair amount of butter for the entire recipe. You need butter for the donuts, for your donut tin and to brush on the donuts just prior to baking. I think it’s completely necessary to butter the tin and brush the pre-baked donuts prior to baking because it lends a crispiness to them that baking without doesn’t give. That said, if you just can’t be bothered, you be you.
• Filling Your Tin. You’re going to want to fill the tins with more batter than you should. Resist this urge. You should fill them anywhere between 1/2 to 3/4 full…erring on the smaller side. I highly recommend piping the donut batter into the tin. If you don’t have pastry bags (which is fine), use a plastic bag. Place the bag in a large vase, with the edges hanging over the side. Put the batter inside the bag, twist the top to push everything to the bottom and cut a small corner of the bag…this is where you’re going to squeeze the batter out. Got it? Good.

Let’s get our bake on.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Donuts

Makes 24 Mini Pumpkin Donuts

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon all spice
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons milk***
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Spiced Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk***
• 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg

**To sprinkle on top: hella sprinkles, chopped nuts + pepitas and/or chopped chocolate.

***You will need to add additional milk to thin the glazes as they will firm up as they sit.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to butter your donut pan. Set aside.
2. Put 1 stick of butter in a small sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium high. Stand by, stirring and watching. This isn’t the time to go and put your dry ingredients together. Watch yer butter. Small golden bits will start to settle on the bottom of the pan. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour into a medium, heat-safe bowl. Let cool a minute or two before moving to the next step.
3. Add the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, cloves, all spice, ginger and nutmeg.
5. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Pipe (as detailed above) or spoon the batter into the donut tin. Fill each donut between 1/2 and 3/4 full.
7. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and use a pastry brush to gently brush the melted butter over the tops of the pumpkin donuts.
8. Place the donut tin on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
9. Whilst they bake, whip up your glazes. For the Chocolate Glaze: put the chocolate + milk in a small, microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Once out, stir until all of the lumps are gone, add the powdered sugar and stir until completely smooth. Add milk in small 1 teaspoon bits until you get the correct consistency. For the Spiced Glaze: Throw everything in a bowl and whisk until smooth. NOTE: you want the glazes to be thick enough to stay on top of the donut, but not so thick that your donut sticks to the glaze while you’re dipping it; so keep this in mind. Both glazes will firm up while they sit…add milk in 1 teaspoon increments until it’s smooth again.
10. Let the pumpkin donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then pop out of the pan and finish cooling on a rack. Sometimes there is some donut covering the hole in the middle of the donut (does that make sense?)…if this happens, turn the donut over in the pan. This will push the extra donut chunks off of the donut.
11. When you’re ready to frost, dip the bottom side of the donut (the prettiest side) into the glaze and twist and slowly pull out of the glaze at an angle. Continue to spin the donut, upside down and at an angle, trying to keep most of the glaze on the donut and letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
12. Set the pumpkin donuts back on the rack to firm up and sprinkle with anything your heart desires.
13. I hope you love these brown butter pumpkin donuts!!!
14.  Store airtight at room temperature…they’ll keep for a couple of days.
15. Be sure to tag me @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your pumpkin donuts!!

More Pumpkin Recipes

The following recipes were created by a ton of talented food bloggers!! If you want to peruse these recipes on Instagram, you can use the hashtag: #virutalpumpkinparty.

Cake Over Steak • Quick Pumpkin and Kale Risotto + Arancini

Twigg Studios • Sausage Stuffing Baked in a Pumpkin

Cloudy Kitchen • Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla German Buttercream

Vegetarian Ventures • Smoky Pumpkin & Black Sesame Hummus

Eat Boutique • Pumpkin Scallion Dumplings

Two Red Bowls • Pumpkin & Maple Caramel Baked French Toast

Wallflower Kitchen • Mini Pumpkin & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Wit & Vinegar • Pumpkin Butterscotch Banana Split

Style Sweet CA • Pumpkin Creme Brulee Cake

With Food + Love • Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Seed Bread

Sevengrams • Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Grain Changer • Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal

Girl Versus Dough • Pumpkin Cranberry Flax Crisps

Earthy Feast • Pumpkin Grits + Pumpkin Home Fries + a Fried Egg

Harvest and Honey • Truffled Pumpkin Papardelle Alfredo with Frizzled Sage

Tasty Seasons • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Broma Bakery • Pumpkin Butter Pop Tarts

Tending the Table • Roasted Pumpkin and Barley Salad

Delicious Not Gorgeous • Waffles with Spiced Pumpkin Butter and Brown Sugar Walnut Crumble

Taste Love and Nourish • Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Foolproof Living • Pumpkin Creme Fraiche Pasta with Sage

The Monday Box • Pumpkin Mini Bundt Cakes

Design Crush • Pumpkin Bourbon Hot Toddy

The Road to Honey • Pumpkin Pie & Chocolate Layer Cake

My Name is Yeh • Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt and Hazelnut Dukkah

Give Recipe • Orange Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

Heartbeet Kitchen • Magic Vegan Pumpkin Pie Fudge

Eat Within Your Means • Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins

Snixy Kitchen • Pumpkin Tapioca Pudding with Candied Pumpkin Seeds

An Edible Mosaic • Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding

Hey Modest Marce • Mascarpone Pumpkin Pie

Inspired By the Seasons • Pumpkin Applesauce Smoothie

CaliGirl Cooking • Pumpkin Praline Cinnamon Rolls with Spiked Cream Cheese Glaze

Sally’s Baking Addiction • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Well and Full • Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus

Appeasing a Food Geek • Cheese Fondue Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

SweetPhi • Pumpkin Chili Biscuit Bake

Warm Vanilla Sugar • Buttermilk Pumpkin Doughnuts

Mademoiselle Poirot • Cinnamon-Pumpkin Mousse on Honey Panna Cotta topped with Hazelnut Brittle

Heart of a Baker • Pumpkin Sticky Buns with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Flourishing Foodie • Massaman Curry with Pumpkin and Chickpeas

Fix Feast Flair • Hokkaido Pumpkin + Sage Mac and Gouda

Will Frolic for Food • Pumpkin Kale Patties with Coconut Cilantro Rice

A Couple Cooks • Pumpkin Pecan Baked Steel Cut Oats

Britnell • Vegan Pumpkin Pie

DisplacedHousewife • Brown Butter Pumpkin Donuts

Sweet Gula • Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

La Pêche Fraîche • Pumpkin and Condensed Milk Cakes

Kitchen Konfidence • Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi with Rosemary Brown Butter Sauce

Loves Food, Loves to Eat • Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Kale & Caramel • Goat Cheese & Sage-Stuffed Pumpkin Challah

Okie Dokie Artichokie • Pumpkin Chorizo Chili with Sweet Potatoes + Pinto Beans

Salted Plains • Easy Pumpkin Bread

Vermilion Roots • Sweet Rice Dumplings with Pumpkin

Celebrate Creativity • Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Tarts

Serendipity Bakes • Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake

So Much Yum • Vegan Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

The Brick Kitchen • Pumpkin, Pecan & White Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt • Pumpkin Pie Dip

The Speckled Palate • Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies

Cook Til Delicious • Fall Cliche Cake (Pumpkin Spice Cake / Maple Cream Cheese Frosting / Apple Cider Caramel Sauce)

Floating Kitchen • Chicken and Pumpkin Chili

Fork Vs Spoon • Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Lemon & Vanilla • Pumpkin and Coconut Caramel Flan

Dunk & Crumble • Pumpkin Chocolate Icebox Cake

Chicano Eats • Pumpkin Butter Pan de Muerto

Rough Measures • Cosy Pumpkin Spice Latte (Caffeine and Dairy Free)

Brewing Happiness • Pumpkin Ginger Breakfast Cookies

The Little Loaf • Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Fork to Belly • Pumpkin Gnocchi

The Little Epicurean • Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie

Bourbon and Honey • Spicy Roasted Pumpkin with Honey and Feta

What to Cook Today • Spicy Pumpkin Noodle Soup

Food by Mars • Pumpkin Pie (Grain-Free, Diary-Free)

The Bojon Gourmet • Pumpkin Butterscotch Pudding

Long Distance Baking • Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

The Jam Lab • Pumpkin Madeleines Dipped in White Chocolate

The Lemon Apron • Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf with an Olive Oil Glaze

A Cookie Named Desire • Pumpkin Shrubs 

Eating Clean Recipes • Vegan Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Kingfield Kitchen • Vegan Fresh Pumpkin Soup

The Pig & Quill • Pumpkin Sage Cannelloni (Dairy-Free)

My Lavender Blues • Pumpkin, Banana & Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Betty Liu • Pumpkin + Pear Butter Baked Melty Cheese

Happy Hearted Kitchen • Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin with Tahini Yogurt + Hazelnut Dukkah

InHappenstance • Pumpkin Scones with Maple Butter

Live Eat Learn • Pumpkin Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

On My Mind

• This is an interesting read…be sure to watch the videos too.
• Stella and I made my Apple Spice Cake for @thefeedfeed’s Instagram Stories. You can watch it here. This one’s a quickie.
• More Fall Recipes: Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Slow Cooker Spiced Apple Cider, Spiced Apple Cake, Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Petite Pumpkin Scones, Pecan + Tart Cherry Granola, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies (one of my favorites!), Fresh Fig + Pecan Fall Salad, Thai Thai Scones and Breakfast Crack Cookies, Maple Oat Scones, Harissa Steak Chili, Pumpkin Gnocchi and Dark Chocolate + Espresso Babka.
• Sending lots of love + peace.

–Rebecca xo