Pumpkin Doughnut Hole Muffins

Pumpkin and spices go hand in hand, right? Especially when the days get shorter and the air is crisp. A perfect after school snack or breakfast treat are these Pumpkin Doughnut Hole Muffins. They are dense with pumpkin flavor, spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg, and crunchy with a sugar coating.

You can certainly use canned pumpkin to make Pumpkin Doughnut Hole Muffins, but don't shy away from making your own puree! It's super easy using the instructions in THIS POST.

How to make Pumpkin Doughnut Hole Muffins:

Start by creaming the butter and brown sugar till it is fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. You can certainly use coconut palm sugar in this recipe and it would be amazing!

Mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the spices. I make this using 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.

Then mix the buttermilk with the pumpkin.

I don't have buttermilk! What can I use?!

If you don't have buttermilk, you can put a tablespoon of lemon juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar in the measuring pitcher, then add milk. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes ... you'll see it start curdling! Really cool science-y stuff.

You can also substitute sour cream, creme fraiche, or plain yogurt.

Why add dry and wet ingredients alternately?

By adding the ingredients alternately, they can be incorporated more quickly with less mixing creating a lighter muffin. However, it must be noted that this is mostly true with regular flour rather than with a gluten-free blend simply because of the gluten. The more you beat flour, the more the gluten is activated making the dough stretchy and perfect for a great loaf. While you want that with bread, you most certainly DON'T want it with cakes or muffins!

The fun part of making Pumpkin Doughnut Hole Muffins ...

... is the dunking in butter and rolling in cinnamon sugar! It gets a little messy, but it sure is tasty. You'll think you've gone to a Fall Festival or the County Fair!!

These make a wonderful afternoon snack with a cup of cider or tea and of course, if you just want a small morsel for breakfast, they are perfect for that, too!