Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts
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These fudgy Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts are the perfect holiday treat! It’s your favorite Christmas coffee in delicious doughnut form!
To be 100% honest, the first time I heard about peppermint mochas I was a little confused. Peppermint, chocolate, coffee – all delicious on their own. But together? That seemed like a flavor overload. Peppermint & chocolate are a definite yes. Chocolate & coffee are super tasty. But all three?
I was unsure…
But one fateful day my curiosity got the better of me/ Starbucks was sold out of gingerbread lattes. Whether it was destiny, or coincidence – we will never know. But that day – I had my first Peppermint Mocha. Yes, I was skeptical. Yes, I worried I wasted $5. And yes, I was prepared to walk another 2 blocks to the next coffee shop if I didn’t love it.
But how wrong I was. Together – the combo of peppermint, chocolate & coffee are invincible. The delicious sweet, creamy chocolate; the cool, minty peppermint; the rich, dark coffee. So ridiculously delicious.
Naturally – I had to make my own version. Only I decided to up the chocolate factor. Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts it is.
This recipe starts with rich chocolate cake doughnut that has just the right amount of peppermint & coffee. Then it’s dipped in a mocha glaze and sprinkled with crushed candy canes. Not only do these doughnuts taste like Christmas – but the candy canes make them look extra festive too.
And while they’re super pretty, the recipe is so easy to make. You’ll simply whisk together the dry ingredients, then the wet in a separate bowl. Fold the wet ingredients into your dry – and you’re done. Cake doughnuts come together so quickly – plus there’s no mixer! My main baking tips for this recipe are:
- Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature so they’re easier to mix together
- Sift your cocoa powder so there’s no clumps
- Be careful not to over mix the batter so it doesn’t get too tough
The doughnuts are baked in a doughnut pan, so you don’t need to worry about hot oil. Then once cooled, dipped in a chocolate & coffee glaze and showered with crushed candy canes.
Now that’s what I call festive!
Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned & levelled
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder, or 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk*
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons golden corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder, or 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (depending on taste
- Crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 6-cavity doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray. The recipe will make about 8 doughnuts - so if you have 2 pans you can spray both or you'll need to make the recipe in 2 batches.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, sugars, oil, extracts, coffee powder & buttermilk. The should have no remaining lumps of brown sugar.
- Using a rubber spatula or large wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until combined. Be careful not to over mix - the batter should be thick.
- Carefully spoon the batter into your prepared doughnut pan. Alternatively, spoon the batter into a zipper-closed plastic bag, cut one of the bottom corners off, and pipe the batter into the pan. Each doughnut cavity should be about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I got a total of 9 doughnuts
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the doughnuts are slightly springy when you lightly touch them with your finger. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Take the doughnuts out of their pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
- While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate chips, butter, milk & coffee powder in short 15-20 second increments stirring between each. Be very careful not to microwave the chocolate for longer than 20 seconds at a time or else it can bake instead of melt into a glaze. Once the chocolate is almost melted, remove from the microwave and whisk until there are no chocolate chunks. Dip each doughnut in the chocolate glaze and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
Notes
Nutrition
