Pumpkin Pie Doughnuts

Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease a 6-cavity standard size donut pan. Recipe makes about 15 donuts so use as many pans as you have, or you can make them in batches.

In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup maple syrup, oil, eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and use a spoon or spatula to mix the donut batter just until combined.

Pour the donut batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip (or cut a corner off a plastic zip-lock bag) and pipe the batter into the greased donut pan.

Bake the donuts at 425°F until they spring back when lightly touched, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the donuts cool in the pan for 3-4 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter until all the donuts have been baked. Let them cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons maple syrup and cream, and slowly whisk in the powdered sugar until a glaze forms. Add more powdered sugar or milk to reach desired consistency.

Dip the top of each donut into the maple glaze and return to the cooling rack. Top with chopped pecans, then let the glaze harden for at least 30-40 minutes before enjoying!

Note: For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free flour bend (I used Pamela’s Artisan flour blend).