* You may need more or less vegetable oil. It depends on the size of the pan you will be frying the donuts in. * All ingredients for the dough should be at room temperature. 1. Heat the milk (to approximately 40°C). Add the yeast. Stir, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let stand for 15-20 minutes. The yeast should become frothy. 2. In a large bowl: mix the dissolved yeast with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add 3 egg yolks and 350 g of pumpkin puree. Mix. Sift in half of the flour. Mix. Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt and mix. Then gradually add the remaining flour, kneading the dough well (you can do this by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook attachment). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 3. Add 2.5 tablespoons of softened butter to the dough. Knead the dough well again. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise. The time depends on the room temperature, from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. The dough should double in volume. 4. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately 1 inch. Cut out circles. Tie each circle with cotton butcher's twine string, giving it a pumpkin shape. Place the finished pumpkins on a floured tray and cover with a clean, dry towel to prevent the dough from drying out. 5. In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, and, if using, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice. 6. Prepare a large plate lined with paper towels for placing the donuts after frying. Place scissors and the bowl with sugar and cinnamon next to it. 7. Prepare a large plate lined with parchment paper for the finished pumpkins. 8. Over high heat: heat the oil in a deep pan or pot. (The oil is hot enough if, when you dip a wooden spoon into it, bubbles form around the spoon.) Reduce the heat to medium. Fry the donuts on both sides until golden brown. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool slightly, cut and remove the strings. Roll donuts in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place them on a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with all the donuts. 9. Optionally, decorate the donuts with cinnamon sticks. *** COFEE-FLAVORED CREAM Ingredients: white chocolate - 100 g, cream - 200 g, instant coffee - 2 tablespoons, butter - 2 tablespoons, spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg) - to taste. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring continuously until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Do not boil! Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Whip with a mixer. Put the cream into a pastry bag. Make indentations in the donuts and fill them with the cream. ***

   PREPARE THE DOUGH: 1. In a small bowl, combine warm milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 cup flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. 3. Let rest around 10 minutes. 4. Melt a butter in a sauce pan. Add butter to the dough. Mix everything together to form a dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5-7 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. 5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-1.5 hours or until it doubles in size. APPLE FILLING: 6. Dice the apples. 7. In a sauce pan, heat apples and sugar over low heat; sauté about 5 minutes. 8. Take the sauce pan off the stove. Add a corn starch and cinnamon, mix with a spoon and let it cool. ASSEMBLE THE PIROZHKI: 9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 10. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into small portions (about the size of a golf ball). 11. Roll each dough portion into a small circle, about 4-5 inches in diameter. 12. Place a spoonful of the apple filling in the center of each dough circle. 13. Fold the dough over the filling to create an ball shape and pinch the edges to seal the pirozhki. 14. Place the assembled pirozhki on the prepared baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with ready pirozhki with a kitchen towel and let to rest about 30-40 min. BAKE: 15. Preheat your oven (gas) to 395°F. 16. Brush the tops of the pirozhki with a beaten 1 egg + 1/4 cold milk and .sprinkle pirozhki with sweet crumbs. 17. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-23 minutes or until the pirozhki are golden brown. 18. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.