Pumpkin Crumb Donuts

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Donuts:

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ cups pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Spice Crumble:

• ¼ cup salted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice
• Pinch of kosher salt

For the Vanilla Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat and Prep Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease two 6-well donut pans with butter or cooking spray, making sure to get into all the corners and the center posts. You can also dust them lightly with flour after greasing for extra insurance against sticking.
2. Make the Spice Crumble In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, pumpkin spice, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir until everything is combined and the mixture looks like wet, clumpy sand. Spread the crumble mixture onto a parchment-lined tray or plate and set it aside while you make the donut batter.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting helps get rid of any lumps and aerates the flour for lighter donuts. If you don't have a sifter, just whisk everything together really well.
4. Mix the Wet Ingredients In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract until everything is smooth and well combined. The mixture should be thick but pourable.
5. Combine Wet and Dry Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold everything together just until you don't see any more streaks of dry flour. Don't overmix! The batter will be quite thick, almost like a thick cake batter. A few small lumps are totally fine and actually preferable to overmixing.
6. Fill the Donut Pans Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large zip-top bag with one corner snipped off (about a ½-inch opening). This makes filling the donut pans so much easier and neater than spooning. Pipe the batter evenly into each well of your prepared donut pans, filling them about halfway to two-thirds full. Don't fill them all the way or they'll overflow and lose their donut shape. Generously sprinkle the spice crumble over the top of each unbaked donut, pressing it down very gently so it sticks.
7. Bake Place the donut pans in your preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes. The donuts are done when they spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Don't overbake or they'll be dry! Let the donuts cool in the pans for about 5 minutes (they need this time to set up), then carefully turn them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
8. Make the Glaze While the donuts are cooling, make your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. If it's too thick, add a tiny bit more milk (just a few drops at a time). If it's too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. You want it to be thick enough to coat the donuts but thin enough to drizzle.
9. Glaze the Donuts Once the donuts are completely cool, drizzle the glaze over the top of each one using a spoon or transfer the glaze to a small zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off for more control. You can also dip the tops of the donuts directly into the glaze if you want full coverage. Let the glaze set for about 10 minutes before serving.
10. Serve and Enjoy These donuts are best enjoyed fresh on the day they're made, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.