Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins - dairy free

Somehow it's Saturday. I'm not totally sure when that happened, except that it must crept up on me while I made cookies and creme brulee and bread stuffing and cookies and bread crumbs and pastry cream and cookies and...you get the idea. It turns out that the weeks leading up to the holiday season at a bakery are busy. I can only imagine the insanity ahead.

I had a day off mid-week and made these beauties. I was a little nervous because last weekend I tried another pumpkin recipe from King Arthur that was incredibly blah. Not bad, just not exciting in the least. Thankfully, these muffins are not blah. They're light and sweet and a nice switch from my usual breakfast option.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins - dairy free
adapted from King Arthur Flour

I don't have a doughnut pan because a) I'm cheap b) I have a tiny kitchen and c) I generally try and stay away from single-use kitchen items, but if you have one, more power to you. Head over to King Arthur for directions to make these as baked doughnuts.

I reduced the amount of sugar from the original. They're tasty, but less doughnut-y than they could be. If you really want the sweetness of doughnuts, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 cups; next time, I will. If you have pumpkin pie spice in your cabinet, you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons (or more!) instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, & ginger.

Have leftover self-rising flour from another project? Reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon; omit the baking powder, and substitute 2 cups (8 ounces) self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour.

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used a combination of canola & olive)
3 large eggs
1 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 C pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
heaping 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners or lightly grease the cups.

Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

Fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).

If you're eating these the same day or the next after baking them, I recommend sprinkling them with cinnamon+sugar before you bake them. If you won't be eating them for a few days, hold off on this step and sprinkle them just before serving. In a small bowl, mix together a few tablespoons of cinnamon+sugar. Sprinkle it over your muffins.

Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.

Yield: 15 muffins.