Once upon a time I published a recipe for Mini Shortcut Vegan Banana Muffins with Coconut-Almond Glaze. I was surprised at how much responded to like it. Turns out, people like shortcuts. Like using a mix to make something quickly, but jazzing it up to make it more special. I could go on and on about how I’m typically opposed to mixes, but truth is they come in handy, and recipes that incorporate mixes to save time are just as important as a from-scratch Cronut recipes which take 16 hours from start to completion. All baked goods have a time, place and life situation, and sometimes ya need a shortcut!

So fastforward form summer (when I wrote that recipe) into fall. It’s pumpkin season! [In case you forgot]. I certainly have not forgotten this fact. I’m practically orange from all the extra beta-carotene I’ve been consuming. I feel like people are going to start intervening and telling me to lay off the tanning beds. But really, peoples, I just love my sweet potatoes and carrots and pumpkin. #besties #beta-c

So yes, I used a plain cake mix to make these [I used Cherrybrook Kitchens] and instead of using oil and eggs and whathave you the way one would typically make a cake, I used canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and pseudo-buttermilk, put them in mini-doughnut pans, and made baked cake doughnuts. I then drizzled melted chocolate chips on some. On others, I used leftover cinnamon-sugar from my Apple Cinnamon Duffins. Both are good options.

So toss these things into a bowl and put them in your oven and then you have a bunch of adorable mini pumpkin muffins to enjoy in the fall foliage. These are so quick to come together, that they’ll leave you for other really important fall activities like homework or apple picking or eating squash.

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Chocolate Drizzle

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Level: Easy peasy!

Ingredients:

• one box cake mix [I used Cherrybrook Kitchen]
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup almond milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2-3 tablespoons flour (you may or may not need this – the pumpkin can make things a little too moist, and if you feel the batter is too doughy, add a little flour to dry it out a bit)

Chocolate Drizzle:

• 1/2 of a 12-ounce bag dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (optional)

Option 2 for Topping – Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, pumpkin, oil and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well.

3. Pour cake mix into mini doughnut pan. I have this one from Wilton. I’m a big fan. I got it at Jo-Ann Fabrics. You can get one there or online. Also if you don’t have a mini doughnut pan and ain’t got time fo gettin’ one, use a mini cupcake pan. Or even a regular muffin pan. They will all work and be delicious. They just might not quite as cute. This doesn’t matter, aside from likes on Insta.

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until doughnuts are browned, fragrant, and bouncy when touched.

5. Allow doughnuts to cool completely. Meanwhile, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine coconut oil (can be omitted if you don’t have it) and chocolate chips. Place in the microwave and heat in 30 second increments until chocolate chips are melted, stirring after each increment. This should take 2-3 minutes total.

6. Once doughnuts are cooled, use a pastry bag, spoon or fork to drizzle chocolate over the doughnuts. Yummy. I like chocolate.

7. If you want a cinnamon-sugar coating, melt the coconut oil or butter in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave in 30 second incremients, stirring after each increment until melted. Mix cinnamon and sugar in another small bowl. Dip or use hands or pastry brush to lightly coat each doughnut in coconut oil/butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

8. Allow the chocolate to cool/harden onto the doughnuts. Then take these babies to a party to share, or straight to the face. 😀