Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Vanilla Bean Glaze

Happy first day of Fall.  Here in Virginia, the weather has begun to turn chilly and I can't wait to start making all my favorite cold weather foods, beginning with these delicious Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Vanilla Bean Glaze.  They're such a fun way to celebrate the change of season.  

I've baked mini donuts in pans like this, but I find I get much better results using an electric donut maker like this.  There really isn't anything wrong with donut pans that go in the oven, but the donuts they produce usually have one flat side, whereas the ones baked in the donut maker are domed on both sides. Also, you can crank out batch after batch pretty quickly.   

To prepare the donut maker, I use a silicone pastry brush to coat the indentations with a little vegetable oil or shortening.  The electric donut maker has a non-stick finish, but brushing with a little oil helps make donut removal a little easier.

The ingredients are mixed together easily.  No special techniques here, but I love using my BeaterBlade attachment so I don't have to stop to scrape down the sides of my mixer bowl.  If you don't have a BeaterBlade, you can use a standard flat beater, or feel free to mix everything together using a hand mixer if you don't own a stand mixer. 

To neatly dispense the batter into the donut indentations, I like to use a large disposable pastry bag.  It helps me fill the indentations quickly and easily.  Really cuts down on the mess too.  

No piping tip necessary, I just cut a small opening at the end of the bag.

I evenly pipe the batter, filling the indentations to the rim.  

Then I close the donut maker and wait 4-5 minutes until the mini donuts spring back when pressed slightly.   

Open the donut maker up and suddenly I have one dozen of the most perfectly shaped, evenly domed mini donuts.  Aren't they adorable? 

The mini donuts are removed from the donut maker and placed on a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing. 

Time to make the vanilla bean glaze.  Vanilla bean paste is full of those tiny little black vanilla bean seeds that look so nice on baked goods.  If you don't have vanilla bean paste, you can substitute pure vanilla extract.  Be sure to use the good stuff! 

Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth - it should be about this thick to coat the donuts nicely.  If needed, add more confectioners sugar or half & half to adjust the consistency.  As soon as the glaze is ready, start dipping the donuts.

Dip the top half of the cooled donuts in the glaze and place them back onto the rack to rest for about 30 minutes so the glaze can set up. 

That's all there is to it.  Hope you give these tasty mini donuts a try.  Happy fall! 

Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Vanilla Bean Glaze

makes 24 mini donuts

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE DONUTS:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/4 cup canola oil

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar

• 1 tablespoon half and half

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)

Directions

To make the donuts:

1. Preheat electric donut maker and brush indentations with vegetable oil or shortening.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

3. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined using BeaterBlade attachment (or mix with a hand mixer).

4. Using a large pastry bag, fill bottom half of the prepared donut maker, filling each indentation to the rim.

5. Close donut maker and bake for 4-5 minutes (use a toothpick to check for doneness - the should spring back when pressed lightly).

6. Carefully remove mini donuts from maker and cool completely on wire rack before glazing.

To make the glaze:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, half and half, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.

2. Dip tops of cooled mini donuts in glaze immediately; allow glaze to dry for 30 minutes.

Note

• To use mini donut pans, preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 8-12 minutes until done.

DIY Authentic Clotted Cream

Oh boy do I have a treat for you!  I'm talking authentic homemade clotted cream.  It's like heavy cream on steroids.  No joke.  This stuff is amazing.

Start with Pasteurized heavy cream, not Ultra-Pasteurized (apparently, ultra-p won't work).   The closest grocery store I can find that sells regular pasteurized cream is oven an hour away, but a couple of my local farmer's markets sell dairy products from small dairies - usually they're not ultra-pasteurized.  You'll pay a bit more, but it'll be worth it when you taste that first bite of clotted cream.  I promise!

Pour the cream into a shallow baking dish so the cream is an inch or so deep.  Here I have a pint of cream in a shallow oven-safe pasta bowl. 

Be sure to cover your baking dish while it's in the oven.  More on why a little later.

Set the oven to 180F and walk away for 10-12 hours.   Check your owner's manual - some ovens turn off after so many hours.

This is what the cream looks like after 12 hours in the oven.  The color has darkened a bit and the cream has thickened substantially.  But it's not done yet.  Allow the cream to cool at room temperature for an hour or so, then cover it well with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Chilling overnight helps that clotted layer of cream thicken even further.  Remove the thickened layer from the top of the cream and store it in an airtight jar.  The remaining milky liquid can be used in baking or pour it over your breakfast cereal.  You'll end up with about 1 cup of clotted cream and 1 cup of milky liquid.

Here's what will happen if you don't cover your baking dish - some of the lovely thickened cream will crust over.  

The crusty layer peels back to reveal the clotted cream, but you'll get much more clotted cream if you cover your baking dish with foil during the baking process. 

Either way, try not to eat your weight in clotted cream at this point.  

Be strong - I know you can resist!

And there you have it.  Spread the clotted cream on scones or toast.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within a week.  The leftover milky liquid can be used for baking or pour it on your morning oatmeal.  Enjoy! 

Items used to make this recipe:

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• shallow bowls http://amzn.to/2qiRlLm

• oven thermometer https://amzn.to/3Ghxwd8

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DIY Authentic Clotted Cream

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pint pasteurized heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180F.

2. Pour cream into a shallow oven-safe baking dish and cover well with foil.

3. Bake cream for 10-12 hours.

4. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, uncovered, for about an hour.

5. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

6. Scoop clots from milky liquid and place in an airtight container. Chill well and use within a week.

Notes

• This recipe will yield about 1 cup of clotted cream. The leftover milky liquid can be used for baking or pour it over your breakfast cereal.

• Clotted cream and Devonshire cream are basically the same, but Devonshire cream is made in Devonshire, England.