Baked pumpkin spice donuts

So I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond last week for a kitchen timer and left with a handful of items that weren't on my list.  One of those items was a doughnut pan. Taking the girls to get donuts is considered a treat because they insist on getting ones with frosting AND sprinkles, and they also insist on eating two.  EVERY TIME.  The words sugar overload come to mind.  Anyway, I thought this would be a great way to eat donuts in a (slightly) healthier way because they are baked instead of fried.  First up were these baked pumpkin spice donuts from Confections of a Foodie Bride.  Making your own donuts doesn't take ALL the fun away, because we still dipped them in chocolate and covered them in sprinkles.  Oh, and I totally counted the pumpkin as a vegetable serving for the day.  Sue me.

BAKED PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS

Yield: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp butter, cold

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz dark chocolate

1 tsp vegetable oil, shortening, or coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Spray a donut pan with baking spray.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, mix the flour, sugar, and butter on low until the butter is incorporated.
4. Add baking powder, spices, and salt, mixing until combined.
5. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
6. Transfer batter (it will be a little thicker than your standard cake batter) to a ziptop bag.
7. Snip off the corner of the bag (make the opening ~ 3/4 inch) and pipe the batter into the donut wells until 1/2 - 3/4 cup full (you'll get exactly 6 donuts; the batter is thick and holds it's shape, it won't really settle or bake smoothly if you spoon it into the pan).
8. Bake 8-12 minutes, until the top of the donut springs back when lightly tapped.
9. Let cool in pan 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
10. To make the glaze, melt chopped chocolate in the microwave with oil/shortening. Stir until smooth.
11. Dip the donuts into the chocolate and add sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.
12. It's easier to store unglazed donuts in a ziptop bag so only glaze the ones you are eating right away and store the leftover chocolate in the fridge to glaze the others later. They'll stay fresh for 3 days.