Peppermint Mocha Donuts Recipe

Peppermint Mocha Donuts will be a joy to wake up to this holiday season. Great for breakfast or an afternoon sweet treat!

My husband loves mochas. Every time we hit a coffee shop that’s what he orders, even as I roll my eyes at the amount of sugar he’s drinking. I love the flavor of mochas — in college they were my “gateway” coffee drink, with the somewhat ridiculous addition of raspberry syrup — but these days I stick to lattes.

That doesn’t mean I don’t take the opportunity to combine chocolate and coffee while baking, whenever I can. I mean, this espresso streusel coffee cake is over the top in coffee flavor, in a good way. And since I made these peppermint mocha cupcakes a few years ago, I’ve been thinking about making peppermint mocha donuts.

Donuts feel festive no matter what, even the baked variety. For one thing, my kids get excited about donuts in a way they just don’t about muffins. They don’t need to know that baked donuts are practically the same thing, and are just as simple to make, right? While I’ve recently experienced the joys of frying donuts with these pecan coffee donut holes, baking donuts means breakfast is on the table in a flash.

Since these are family-friendly, the coffee flavor isn’t too strong. It’s more there to help bring out the natural flavor of the cocoa, giving it a deeper chocolate taste. You could always bump up the coffee by adding espresso powder in addition to the coffee, but be careful to not let it overpower.

Crushed candy canes on top add blasts of peppermint to each bite. For the pickier people in the house, you can skip them in favor of sprinkles, or just let the peppermint in the glaze stand on its own.

When making the glaze, be sure to mix it ­after the donuts are baked, because it will start to harden as it sits, making it difficult to coat all of your donuts. A fork or a spoon will help greatly in moving the donuts out of the glaze, and you can use a toothpick to pop any bubbles if you’re picky.

These peppermint mocha donuts are perfectly soft, sweet, and minty — the ideal antidote to any winter blues!

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