Pumpkin Spice Donuts/Muffins to Spice Up Your Life

I LOVE anything to do with pumpkin- muffins, donuts, bread, seeds, soup, candles, little wooden blocks, etc. I love pumpkins and not just the ones you eat, so a couple of weeks again when I was told about Pumpkin Spice Donuts/Muffins I knew I had to try them. There was an issue with "trying" this recipe- I knew it would be delicious and I knew there would just be two of us to eat them. I put off making it for a few weeks, I didnt look at the recipe for fear that I would have all the ingredients and just have to give in and make them... I had all the ingredients, but I held out a few more days... until today. These little muffins are delicious and totally worth it. If you skip the topping they would be considerably healthier... but then I would have had to cut them in half and put butter on them that way (skipping the butter isnt an option), plus if you skip the topping then they are just muffins, and let's face it, calling them donuts or "donut holes" is just more fun and festive. Anyway, they are fast, easy, and did I mention delicious?

Pumpkin Spice Donuts/Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
For the topping:
• 2/3 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. With the melted butter in one bowl and the sugar and cinnamon combined in another, dip each muffin into the butter then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve