Acorn Squash Donuts

These acorn squash donuts are a unique and fun way to bring fall flavors into your baking, without relying solely on pumpkin (however delicious it may be).

Are you sick of pumpkin? I get it – it’s seriously everywhere. 

I personally still love pumpkin flavors, but I do find that it overshadows other fall/winter squashes, such as acorn and butternut.

Quick tangent – how do you spell donuts?

Doughnuts? Donuts? Is there a correct way or is it personal preference?

Is it a dialect thing, like colour/color or favourite/favorite?

Truthfully, I do not know! But I digress… back to the donuts!

I’m personally a big fan of squash in general – bring on the butternut, kabocha, spaghetti, acorn, you name it! – and I’m confident even a squash-skeptic will become a raving fan post-donut.

These Acorn Squash Donuts are out of this world. I mean, truly delicious.

This baked donut recipe uses acorn squash in place of pumpkin and a cinnamon-sugar mixture that each donut was shaken in once baked and cooled.

While also good without this coating, it did add a whole lot of texture to the finished product.

Can you say “holy-crap-that’s-good!?” 

I sure did!

I imagine dunking these in coffee would be fantastic, so please let me know if you’re afforded that incredible experience.

I’m currently making a mental note to try that very soon! Like now. Maybe I’ll go try it now.

If you’re not so keen on the cleanup phase of baking and cooking, I fully recommend making an afternoon of it and multi-tasking in the kitchen.

I’m thinking double up on the roasted acorn squash prep to also make these incredible cupcakes, pot roast so the crockpot does the work for you, and a cocktail because why the heck not?

Only clean the kitchen once, and enjoy dinner and treats all week!

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN ACORN SQUASH IS RIPE?

There are a few factors to consider when picking a ripe acorn squash. Factor one is the stem – believe it or not, you’re looking for a brown, withered stem.  Factor two is the texture of the skin, which is super tough when the squash is ripe. 

The third factor is also skin-related – if the sheen of the skin is dull/matte and primarily a very deep green with an orange patch, you’ve got yourself a winner!

CAN I SUBSTITUTE PUMPKIN FOR ACORN SQUASH?

If you can’t find acorn squash, or if you’re just feeling new-squash-phobic, pumpkin or butternut squash could be used in this recipe.

While other winter squashes may offer a similar texture to acorn, the flavors of pumpkin and butternut lend themselves really well to baked goods.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER OIL FOR VEGETABLE OIL?

The vegetable oil in this recipe can be replaced one-for-one with another oil you have on hand.

Coconut or avocado oils are great substitutions in baking because they won’t impart any strong (and less than delicious) flavors. I do not recommend using olive oil.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO STORE BAKED DONUTS?

Once the donuts have cooled completely, they can be stored in an airtight container and left on the kitchen counter. 

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A PIPING BAG?

If you don’t have a piping bag handy, no problem!

Grab a plastic bag with a zipping closure, fill with donut batter, zip the bag (hopefully I don’t need to drive home just how vital this step is – hello, mess!), snip off one corner of the bag, and pipe your heart out.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A DONUT PAN?

A muffin tin can be used for baking the batter in place of a donut pan.  Using either a greased muffin tin or paper/silicone liners, fill each muffin well 3/4 full. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, and voila!, you’ve got Acorn Squash Muffins.

Pro tip – don’t forget to liberally sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture as they cool.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS CUPCAKE RECIPE:

• Acorn Squash
• Butter
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Granulated Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Ginger
• All-purpose Flour
• Baking Pantry Staples: Baking Powder + Salt

MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES!

• Cinnamon Brown Rice Pudding
• Irish Soda Bread French Toast
• Blueberry Cherry Muffins
• Pumpkin Spice Pecan Bread

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Yield: 12

Acorn Squash Donut Recipe

If you don't have a donut pan you can turn these into acorn squash muffins by filling a muffin tin and baking for bake for 23 to 25 minutes.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

acorn squash puree

• 1 cup water
• 2 small acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• pinch of cinnamon

donuts

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups acorn squash puree
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour

cinnamon sugar mixture

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

acorn squash puree:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour one cup of water into a baking pan and set aside.
3. Cut each acorn squash in half. pour or brush the melted butter onto all four halves.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and place in baking dish, face down. (If you want to place face up, you can do that too.
5. The cinnamon will stay in tact (for the most part) either way.) Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. 
6. Scoop the flesh out of the shell and add to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth with 1/2 Tbsp of water.

donuts:

1. Whisk together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, baking powder and flour.
2. Add in the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, 3 eggs, acorn squash puree and mix until combined.
3. Grease a donut pan with butter or baking spray.
4. Use a small cookie scoop to add the donut batter to the pan.
5. Fill wells 3/4 full. You can also use a piping bag to fill the wells! It's really easy and mess free.
6. Bake the donuts for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the donuts spring back to your touch.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before loosening the edges and removing from the pan.

cinnamon sugar mixture:

1. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and transfer to a paper or plastic bag. Even a container with a lid would work for this.
2. Once donuts are cooled, place them one at a time into the bag or container.
3. Closing the lid or holding the bag closed, shake until the donuts are coated. Depending on the size of your bag or container, you may be able to coat two donuts at a time.

Notes

Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 4gSugar: 42gProtein: 4g

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