Fall For Acorn Squash Donuts

Fall For Acorn Squash Donuts

Acorn squash, similar in flavor to pumpkin, is a versatile vegetable which is great in multiple preparations. You might ask, "Why would my mom and I think to use acorn squash in a donut?" Well, we have had donuts on-the-brain. My mom came with me to Missouri last week for Springfield Grocer's Taste of the Ozarks. One night we were craving something sweet and excited to discover a sampler of cinnamon-sugar donuts on the dessert menu at the hotel restaurant.  They were so good that it was hard to only eat one bite.

So what do you do when you are at home and craving a donut? For us, this is when our creative juices start flowing. I had baked a whole acorn squash a couple days ago on a baking sheet with some sweet potatoes. I ended up not using the acorn squash that night so I put it in the refrigerator for another day. Remembering that I had the baked acorn squash in the refrigerator, I pulled it out to add to the donut batter.

My mom whipped up the batter and pulled out our nonstick donut pan which she found at ROSS, one of our favorite stores, a great place to find clothes, shoes, decorating items, kitchen supplies, and much more at a discounted price.

The smell of cinnamon and spice....and everything nice ( ha ha!) captured my senses as the donuts baked in the oven. Once out of the oven, my mom first dipped them in butter and then into a cinnamon-sugar mixture.

This dessert recipe was too good to keep to ourselves so we want to share it with you. It would make a creative and different fall dessert for Thanksgiving. Let the "kids" get creative and roll the donuts in anything from toasted coconut and pecans to dipped in melted Nutella.

Baked Acorn Squash Donuts

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. all spice

1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

¾ cup mashed acorn squash

¼ cup low fat milk

¼ cup vanilla yogurt

Coating:

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a nonstick donut pan with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, acorn squash, milk, and yogurt until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.

Using a tablespoon, spoon the batter into each section of the donut pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the donuts bake, melt the butter in small bowl.  Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove donuts from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Dip each donut in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve donuts warm.

Makes 24 donuts