It’s funny…I don’t know if any of my other fellow food bloggers do this, but sometimes I’ll actually write half of a blog post based solely on the idea I have for food to make.  I’ll get inspired by something I saw on another blog or from a cookbook and have burst of creativity; I’ll write up several paragraphs worth of charming, witty, food-bloggy material and think to myself, “Self – just take some pictures, add in some of the experiences you had while baking, and you’ve NAILED IT.”

I did that with this post.  Unfortunately, it turns out I had to ditch it all.  WOMP WOMP!

But it’s cool – the doughnuts still turned out rockin!

In this case, I was inspired – to the point of obsession and (possible) drooling – by the excellent Tracy of Shutterbean.  Apparently she’s been making a lot of baked doughnuts recently, and since it’s Official Pumpkin-Eating Time and I’m always looking for something I’ve never made before, these spoke to me in a way that doughnuts should never speak to anyone (no, seriously – that’s probably a sign of some sort of mental problem).

But there was a problem with this recipe: it required me procuring a doughnut pan.

It’s been awhile since I’ve complained about the size of my kitchen.  Let me be clear – my kitchen is very small and really, I’m foolish to have as many cooking appliances as I do (I’ve indulged in a mixer, for pete’s sake).  So I told myself, “Self – you cannot buy a doughnut pan just to try this recipe.  Don’t be ridiculous!  The last thing you need is another pan to find a space for in your kitchen!”

You can see how well that worked out.  >.>

I successfully deluded myself into thinking I would simply convert this recipe to cupcakes for about a week until I gave in and bought a pan from Amazon (damn you, Amazon Prime!  You make it too easy to buy things!).  The final factor in this was that I found you could buy a small 6-doughnut pan instead of being forced into a dozen.  I found this small serving size acceptable both to my stomach and my pocketbook (do people still carry pocketbooks?).

ANYWAY.  Back to the food at hand…

Let’s be frank here (as long as I can still be Mary): Tracy’s recipe is absolutely divine.  The doughnuts are soft and moist, and the browned-butter frosting only enhances their flavor.  They taste more or less like all the other pumpkin-spiced treats on the internet these days, but the texture really gives them a leg up in my opinion.  Plus the browned-butter frosting.  Did I mention there’s browned-butter frosting?  Yeah.  There is.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should invest in a doughtnut pan, I’d like to take the opportunity to nudge you towards “yes”.  I bought a 6-count Norpro pan from Amazon, and I was very pleased with the results.  You know how when you first bake with a new appliance you almost expect the first batch to be weird?  Not with this pan with this recipe.  I took a reviewer’s recommendation and seasoned the pan first, and my very first batch of doughnuts came out basically perfect!  The under-sides were slightly lumpy (the batter didn’t quite settle during in the oven the way I thought it would), but once flipped they were smooth and beautiful.

Also, I hope you’re taking the time to appreciate my awesome Halloween tablecloth.  My mommy bought it for me for my birthday last month.  Hooray!

You should also admire the awesome Halloween serving dish my brother and his girlfriend got me for my birthday.  So great!

While this recipe isn’t specifically Halloween-geared, I made it so with sprinkles.  Man, I love Halloween sprinkles.  If you’re having or attending a Halloween party, I’m pretty sure these doughnuts won’t fail you.  They’re soft, delicious, sweet, and probably something no one else will bring!  It’s always nice to have a surprise dessert up your sleeve in my opinion.  First, you will always have a snack for when you’re hungry, and second it always impresses people.  “Doughnuts!” your friends will exclaim, and then not be able to say anything else because they are stuffing their faces with your delicious food.

Eat up, chums!

Frosted Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

From Shutterbean!

The only differences between what she did and what I did are:

• Replaced the pecans with sprinkles.  Nuts can be expensive, and I wanted these to be a more traditional doughnut treat.
• Used her glaze as a frosting.

• I made the frosting simply by using a thicker version of her glaze.  This was actually unintentional, but I like the way they turned out.  Simply add less milk (only the few teaspoons she recommends).
• A thicker glaze makes coating the doughnuts a little more difficult.  The glaze holds on to the doughnut and you have to be gentle when twisting and lifting it out of the bowl.  Don’t rush!
• You may want to consider doubling the glaze recipe so you have more glaze to work with as well.  By my last 2 doughnuts I started hitting the bottom of the bowl, and getting enough glaze where I wanted it presented a little bit of a challenge.  However, if you double it I can guarantee you’ll be throwing some away.  Try this at your own discretion!
• Add the sprinkles immediately after doing the frosting; it hardens pretty quickly and if you wait, most of your sprinkles will bounce off and not stick.