This post may seem out of date, but then again, I have never been trendy.

I have a plain Jane, totally boring wardrobe. Plain tops, various types of jeans and dark pants.

In college, my roommate and I discovered that I did not own any colors, just black and white. It’s still an uphill battle to buy a colored shirt or sweater. And when I do, it’s almost always some shade of green. If you would ask me, I wouldn’t even call green my favorite color, but the amount of green clothing I own tells another story.

I never buy patterned anything. There’s too much going on, please pass the black. Or green. Or white. Or better yet, I’ll buy a scarf.

At thirty years plus, my mother still dresses me whenever she gets the chance. And I am thankful. My mother is trendy and stylish and can shop absolutely anywhere. Small town malls, gas stations, hair salons, cars parked along the side of the world, she knows no limits and she has a sixth sense about what is fashionable and what is not.

I, on the other hand, struggle. I send texts to my Chicago girlfriends asking: Are skinny jeans still in? Do people wear tights with skirts? Can I still wear pantyhose without being shunned? 

So it should be no surprise to you that I am still baking with pumpkin even though it’s not November. The trendy foodies have long abandoned pumpkin, but I hang on. I won’t let it go. I will still be eating pumpkin cookies in July and loving it.

These pumpkin doughnuts defy trends. 

They are timeless, delicious, worth-getting-up-early, morning treats.

I will be baking them all winter long in my pantyhosed legs. If the fashion police show up, then I plan on serving them these doughnuts. I don’t think they will complain then. Even when I serve them next May.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Doughnuts

Modified from an Everyday Food recipe for Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

1/3 cup soy milk *
1/3 tablespoon lemon juice * 
10 tablespoons of Earth Balance vegan spread or butter
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs

*You can also use buttermilk in place of the soy milk and lemon juice.

Sugar coating:
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice (un-processed sugar)
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance vegan spread or butter

  1. Mix together the soy milk and lemon juice.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Butter and flour your pans. I used a doughnut pan and mini muffin pans.
    If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you should really get one, but you could also either use another mini muffin pan (to make doughnut holes) or a regular muffin pan (to make really big doughnut holes).
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together soy milk & lemon juice mixture with pumpkin puree.
  6. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer (on medium) to beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  7. Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined.
  8. Turn mixer down to low to mix in the flour mixture and pumpkin mixture. Do not add mixtures all at once. Add 1/3 of flour, mix, 1/2 of pumpkin, mix, 1/3 flour, mix, 1/2 of pumpkin, mix, 1/3 of flour, and then mix until combined.
  9. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

  10. Bake 15-20 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
  11. While the doughnuts are baking, combine the evaporated cane juice with the cinnamon. Melt the butter.
  12. Let the doughnuts cool for 10 minutes.

  13. Dip the doughnuts first in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

  14. Let cool completely on rack. Enjoy!

 

Recipe Review: These are amazing. The base of the recipe, the actual doughnut part, is really not that sweet. So when you add the cinnamon sugar, it gives it just enough sweetness without being overpowering. Pumpkin perfection, if I do say so myself.

 

They are even worth the three bowls you have to use in the recipe. I rolled my eyes at first, but I will clean the extra dishes for these doughnuts.

Make Ahead Advice: You can definitely make these ahead of time. I suggest baking them the day before but wait until right before you serve them to dunk in the butter (or vegan spread) and cinnamon sugar. It’s best when it’s fresh, but it’s still good if you do it all ahead of time. I still managed to polish off most of the batch and had no complaints. 🙂

 

Have a very happy Holiday!

I wish all of you love, joy, good food, and good cheer this holiday season.

And pumpkin. I wish you pumpkin perfection all year round. 


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