What is it about pumpkin and cinnamon baked goods that feels like a big, warm hug? So sweet and comforting, I just love these flavours!

And when they’re in cute mini donut form? Even better.

I was inspired to create this recipe after being contacted by (another) Aimee from Twigg Studios about a virtual pumpkin party, hosted by herself and Sara from Cake Over Steak. How could I resist joining in?

At first, I made some chocolate chip pumpkin muffins which are so good (and don’t worry, I will share the recipe for those too) but as I had some leftover pumpkin, I decided to experiment with these donuts and I’m so glad I did. One of my favourite bakes yet.

They are baked, not fried, making them slightly healthier but also super easy to make.

I then dipped them in some vegan butter (or oil) and dusted them with cinnamon sugar, made from coconut sugar and ground cinnamon. You can also use brown sugar, which works equally well.

The result is a fluffy, moist, sweet and moreish donut that makes the most of these wonderful autumn flavours.

To see what others are making for this virtual pumpkin party, click here! So many drool-worthy recipes.

But back to these donuts. I’ve made a few batches now, one for The Little Plantation‘s prop swap and bake off event last week, where I got to meet some wonderful old and new blogging friends! They seemed to go down well so I took that as a good sign I should share these on the blog.

In the batch I photographed, I used a slightly powdered coconut sugar but found I actually preferred the texture of the raw, granulated coconut sugar, which reminds me of classic sugar donuts. It also helps them from going too sticky!

So I would recommend just plain coconut sugar or granulated brown sugar for the coating.

These pumpkin doughnuts are:

Vegan Dairy-free Eggless Nut-free Soy-free Free from refined sugars

Yield: 12 Mini Pumpkin & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts (Vegan) Print These mini donuts are baked, not fried and are so easy to make! Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Ingredients 200 g / 1 cup + 2 tbsp plain flour, (or white spelt flour)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice, or pumpkin pie spice mix

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda

A pinch of salt

55 g / 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp vegetable oil

100 ml / 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp dairy-free milk

80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp apple cider vinegar For the glaze & cinnamon sugar 4 tbsp dairy-free butter

Approx 1/2 cup coconut sugar, (you can use brown sugar instead, if you prefer)

2 tsp ground cinnamon Instructions Preheat oven to 180C / 350F and grease a mini donut tin with some oil. Stir all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl or jug, combine all the wet ingredients. Stir the wet into the dry and mix until smooth. For a neat donut shape, I like to transfer the batter into an icing bag with a large, round nozzle and pipe the donuts into the tray. However, you can also just use a spoon and your finger to smooth it down - it's a bit messy this way, though! Bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Gently remove from the tins and leave to cool. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and transfer to a small bowl. Make the cinnamon sugar by mixing the sugar and cinnamon together in a food processor. Dip each donut into the melted butter, drain off the excess, then dip in the sugar or sieve a generous amount of the sugar on top, for a neater look. Repeat on both sides. Serve and enjoy! Will keep for 2 days in an air-tight container at room temperature.

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