These classically fried chocolate pumpkin donut holes are topped with a sweet amaretto glaze for a delicious treat!

You know that whole saying “know your audience”? Well, I’m abandoning that (very sound) advice today and throwing a classically fried donut hole with a sugary liquor glaze in your face in the middle of January.
Moderation…let’s practice it.
Today actually kicks off the start of Doughnut Week with a bunch of food blogger friends. A week that will be filled not only with blow your mind (someone has a monte cristo doughnut on tap….seriously) donut recipes, but also 3 amazing giveaways (see the bottom of this post for the first one!).

Making a legitimate (fried) donut has been on my kitchen bucket list for quite some time, so when donut week came to be, I couldn’t pass it up even if it is smack in the middle of your resolution.
Sorry, but not really. These are insane (as any fried donut is) and if you’re not willing to eat it now, save it for later. I mean, hi, that’s what pinterest is for, right?
So let’s talk about this frying business. Um, this ish is messy. It stunk up my whole house like a fast food joint forcing me to open windows when it was 37 degrees outside, necessitated apron wearing and burnt my fingers no less than 4 times.
The Dunkin’ drive-thru is a heck of a lot easier. But…you’re not gonna find a munchkin with an amaretto glaze, that, I can guarantee.

I have a thing with amaretto. And by a thing I mean I freakin’ adore the stuff. It goes down like water and tastes like sweet candy, what’s not to love about that? The answer is the headache the next morning, but that’s just a tiiiiiny detail.
I promise these won’t give you a morning after headache. You’ll get a crispy fried outside, a super moist chocolatey pumpkin inside and a hint of sweet amaretto flavor from the icing, but no headache.
Worth the burnt fingers and apron wearing. The smell however…worth it for 1 batch but with this kitchen bucket list item checked off, the next 2 recipes this week will be baked (and quite a bit healthier).
Love this chocolate pumpkin donut holes with amaretto glaze recipe?
Try these other donut recipes: Baked Chocolate Avocado Cake Donuts, Chocolate Glazed Donut Bites and Strawberry lemon donuts.

Chocolate Pumpkin Donut Holes with Amaretto Glaze
These classically fried chocolate pumpkin donut holes are topped with a sweet amaretto glaze for a delicious treat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- canola oil for frying
For the Amaretto Glaze
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons amaretto liquor
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. You want enough oil so that the holes can float, about 4-5 inches up the sides.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir together with a spatula until fully incorporated.
- Once the oil is hot (about 375 degrees), wet your hands and form about 11/2 tablespoons of the batter into a ball. Carefully drop the batter into the oil and fry for about 3 minutes turning it over with a spoon half way through.
- Repeat with the remaining batter. Make sure to not crowd the pot. I did no more than 4 donut holes at a time.
- Remove the donut holes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels to dry.
For the Amaretto Glaze
- Heat the brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Once dissolved, whisk in the amaretto and heavy cream.
- Turn off the heat, slowly add in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over the donut holes and let it set for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 35 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 204mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
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Tuesday 7th of October 2014
[…] avocado in them. A baked chocolate cake donut with avocado. Quite a 180 from Monday’s fried chocolate pumpkin donut holes. And if the avocado inside of them wasn’t enough, I went ahead and made an avocado icing. […]
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Mer
Tuesday 10th of June 2014
I know this comment is a little late, but I'm thinking of making these tonight and was wondering if the recipe was correct when it says to use "3 tablespoons of baking powder." Please let me know, as I can't wait to make them. Thanks so much!
Running to the Kitchen
Tuesday 10th of June 2014
Hi Mer- yep, that's correct! Hope you like them :)
jamie
Sunday 19th of January 2014
They look soooo good!
Nutmeg Nanny
Wednesday 15th of January 2014
I love Amaretto but have never thought to turn it into a glaze! I can only imagine how amazing it tasted with the pumpkin chocolate combination...yum!