Have you ever seen a Honeynut squash?! They are like little baby butternut squashes, but darker in color. A bit rusty. The flesh inside is a deep, rich orange, and the flavor is concentrated and sweet. I stumbled upon them at a farmers market this fall, never having seen them before. I’ve been using them as a pasta filling, and for pies(pumpkin pie doesn’t only need to be made with pureed pumpkin, you know. See this post for the why’s and a tutorial).
For a sweeter way to use up this super-flavorful puree, I decided to incorporate it into some homemade baked doughnuts. The squash puree adds earthy sweet flavor to this healthier take on the traditional doughnut(and the only way I mean that is baked, not fried…you bet your buns that there’s still a good dose of sugar and flour in each bite!). Spiced with cinnamon and clove. Dipped in a white chocolate flecked with browned butter and topped with toasted nuts and a dash more cinnamon. Basically, a little sweet orb of fall.
Have you tried Honeynut squash? If not, you can also use a butternut squash puree, or even a pumpkin.
Happy baking and please tag #thekitchenmccabe on Instagram if you make these, I’d love to see!
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Honeynut Baked Doughnuts + Browned Butter White Chocolate
Serves: 12-18 mini doughnuts
Ingredients
- FOR THE DOUGHNUTS:
- 1 cup Flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
- 1 cup Raw Cane Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Clove
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Honeynut Squash Puree (can use Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Puree)
- FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE COATING:
- ¼ cup Salted Butter
- ¾ cup White Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
- Cinnamon, to top
Instructions
- FOR THE DOUGHNUTS:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a mini or standard sized doughnut pan.
- Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the egg, oil, milk, vanilla, and squash puree to the dry ingredients and whisk in just until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a gallon sized ziplock bag, snip off the tip, and pipe the batter intothe prepared doughnut wells(each well should be almost full to the top with batter). Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and firm on top and a tester inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let sit for 2 minutes, then remove from pan to cool on wire rack.
- FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE COATING:
- Place the butter in a sauce pan and place over medium/high heat. Let butter melt and start to foam. Continue to cook until the butter turns a light brown color and develops a nutty aroma. Remove from heat. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl and pour the hot butter over the top. Let it sit for 1 minute, then whisk until the chocolate melts. Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the chocolate mixture, tapping a bit to drop off the excess chocolate. Place on a wire rack and sprinkle a bit of the toasted nuts on top of each doughnut, along with a dash of cinnamon. Let the chocolate set, then store the doughnuts in an airtight container. Best when eaten the same day made.
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