Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts wrap all your favorite fall flavors into a breakfast appropriate treat perfect for cozy autumn mornings.
Sometimes my baking adventures are inspired by something I eat. Other times, they’re inspired by a tool or a new piece of bakeware. And in the case of these baked chai pumpkin donuts with maple glaze, it was a little bit of both.
These donuts were inspired by a recent cake from Half Baked Harvest that I made for dinner with friends. Eating the cake, all I could think about was how tasty the flavor combination would be as a breakfast treat.
I was obsessively thinking about the spicey chai and fall pumpkin flavors being dipped into a steamy, creamy cup of coffee when I happened across the most precious donut pan while wandering around Target. In this serendipitous moment, I made the impulse purchase and went straight home to whip up these cute little chai pumpkin donuts. Along with the impulse donut pan purchase, I also scooped up this #squashgoals spatula for a little orange flair in my kitchen.
While this donut recipe was 100% inspired by Half Baked Harvest, I revised the spice flavorings some and modified the structure of the batter to make the donuts a little sturdier and less cake-like by swapping full eggs for egg whites. After all, these donuts need to withstand the necessary coffee dunk!
While I was 100% delighted with the end result of the chai pumpkin donuts I was slightly disappointed with my donut mold. The donuts released cleanly from the mold after cooling a bit on the counter. However, the mold has intricate details that were lost during the baking process and further covered by the maple frosting.
Enjoy these donuts! They’d make a great fall breakfast or brunch treat. And if you’re looking for other pumpkin treats, check out my salted caramel apple pavlova or pumpkin spice scones.
- For the donuts:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
- For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons half & half
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon maple extract, optional (but it adds extra maple flavor)
- Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease your donut mold with a baking spray then set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and pumpkin puree. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until fully combined.
- Place the mixture into a large piping bag and use it to fill the donut molds to about two-thirds full.
- Bake the donuts for 15-17 minutes, until a cake pin inserted into the donut comes out clean.
- Allow the donuts to cool for 5-10 minutes then remove them from the pan, placing them in a wire cooling rack.
- Repeat the process, filling the mold again with the remaining batter (don't forget to clean & grease your mold in between bakes).
- While the donuts are baking, make the maple glaze, you're looking for it to be the consistency of hair gel, which makes it the perfect thickness for dipping.
- While the donuts are slightly warm, dip the top of them into the glaze and place them back onto the rack. Wait a 2-3 minutes and dip them a second time for an extra-thick glaze.
- Donuts can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
