Butternut Squash Doughnuts with Fall Spices

Slofoodgroup Team October 29, 2020

A spiced doughnut to get you going

No Plain Jane doughnuts here! Flavorful, nutrient-rich butternut squash is pureed and packed into baked doughnuts filled with tons of fall spices like vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and more. These beauties are then drenched in a rich chocolate glaze. 

 To finish things off we’ve showered the doughnuts with flaky sea salt and adorned them with bits of edible gold leaf! Who needs

Butternut Squash Doughnuts

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Chocolate Glaze:

• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• Flaky sea salt (optional)
• Edible gold leaf (optional)

Procedure and Assembly 

1. Make the doughnuts by first pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees. Halve and seed the squash and place, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour; remove from oven and let cool completely. Puree in a food processor till smooth. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; generously grease a 6-cavity doughnut pan. 
3. Beat 1/3 cup of the squash puree*, egg, sugar, milk, oil and vanilla till smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat again. Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the doughnut pan cavities. Bake for 10 minutes, then use a small knife to turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Make the glaze by first melting the chocolate, butter and milk in the top half of a double boiler, stirring till smooth. Dip the tops of each doughnut into the glaze, then sprinkle with some of the flaky sea salt. Let set and decorate with bits of the gold leaf.

*Leftover squash puree can be served as a side dish or in pasta, and can also be frozen for future use.