Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Bites

So my last post about Cinnamon Rolls was about the furthest thing from healthy... I know that. I am by no means about to tell you that doughnuts are healthy either, but these ones aren't the worst thing you could choose to enjoy as a treat. One of the boys I help care for brought home a homework assignment he said he wanted to do with me. When he told me he had to make doughnuts, I was a bit skeptical to say the least. But his homework did ask him to:

a) pick a recipe to make with an adult

b) use his measuring skills and ability to follow directions when making the recipe 

c) taste the end product and write a paragraph about why you would or wouldn't recommend the recipe

So when a seven year old brings you the Deceptively Delicious cookbook open to a page of doughnuts made using pumpkin and sweet potato puree, you can't really resist. Oh, and if you don't own a doughnut pan, a mini muffin tin works perfectly also. Given the many other doughnut recipes out there, this one was delicious, easy, baked (rather than fried), and has hidden veggies. I was shocked to have C tell me this particular cookbook was his favorite, but I'm very supportive of it. If you have kids (or heck, even yourself) who could use a few more servings of veggies in their diet but have a hard time being convinced to eat them at dinner, this cookbook is a great resource.

Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Bites

Total Time:  35-45 minutes                  Yields:  30 mini doughnut bites

Ingredients:

Non-Stick cooking spray (I used canola oil instead for greasing the muffin tins)

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 cup milk (recipe calls for nonfat or skim, I personally used whole)

1 large egg white

1 T. melted margarine (margarine is what the recipe calls for, I used unsalted butter)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat your mold or muffin tin with either the cooking spray or canola oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, pumpkin, sweet potato, milk, egg white, melted margarine (or butter) and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spice, mix until completely incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into a heavy duty Ziplock bag or pastry bag if using a doughnut mold. Cut the tip so you can pipe the molds with batter. If using a mini muffin tin, a small scoop or spoon will also work.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes for doughnut molds, 10-12 minutes for mini muffin tins. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before dusting with powdered sugar.

5. Store in air-tight containers for 2-3 days or freeze for up to one month.

C told me that "doughnuts in a mini muffin shape" was a bad name, so he affectionately named them doughnut bites instead. Good call, C.

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