Pumpkin poppers

Dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, it doesn't get much better than these pumpkin poppers. They're just as tasty as a pumpkin donut hole, without the yeast or deep frying.

This is one of those recipes I saw on Pinterest where the picture alone sucks me in and gets pinned immediately so I don't lose sight of the source and can make the recipe when it feels like the right time. And it's time. These poppers are reminiscent of the Apple Cinnamon Bites I've made before that I thought were delicious. Because anything dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar has some serious game.

Pumpkin poppers are super easy to throw together – you can mix up the recipe while your oven is preheating and be ready to put the first batch in soon after. I skipped the ground cloves and allspice called for in the recipe, as I don't like to have too many spices in my pumpkin baked goods; cinnamon and nutmeg are all I mostly prefer. 

For the first batch, I only dipped the tops in the melted butter and rolled them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can roll the whole thing but I prefer the coating in moderation. These are really good, especially when eaten warm. It's like eating little pumpkin donut holes dusted with cinnamon sugar without the fuss of a yeasted dough and deep frying.

Pumpkin poppers
From Just the Little Thing 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup milk

Sugar coating
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (I used less, about 1/2 stick)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a bowl and whisk until combined.

3. In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk. Pour in flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fill mini muffin tins until almost full and bake 10-12 minutes. 

4. Melt butter in small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small bowl. After poppers have cooled for a few minutes, dip them in the butter and roll them in the sugar mixture.