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This recipe was developed on the heels of another Starbucks latte inspired donut, and a friend commented, “WHERE ARE MY PEPPERMINT MOCHA DONUTS!?” with love. So, naturally, I turned around that same day and started recipe testing.

Yeah, so selfless. No, just kidding. She said that and I was immediately like, “I need those in my face. Right. Now.” So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

peppermint mocha donut on a ruffled pedestal next to a cooling rack of donuts and a towel

Yes, These are Baked Donuts

I love my donut pan. I don’t love cutting out, frying, and cleaning up after making fried donuts. For this, it’s as simple as piping your batter into a mold and loading it into the oven.

For me, this means a smaller mess and letting myself think these are healthy. But let’s be real… they are still donuts, guys. Let’s not go eating the whole pan because they’re baked. Okay? Just kidding. You can do what you want. But seriously, maybe just eat like 2.

Donuts are Basically Little Breakfast Cakes

So, after scanning through a billion donut recipes, it dawned on me that donuts are the cupcakes of breakfast. Don’t let muffins fool you because they’re the same shape. No, donuts are like bundt cakes that snuck into breakfast, leaned up against your coffee, and went, “How YOU doin’?”

The recipe for a baked donut is so similar to a cake recipe, in fact, I started this recipe out testing with my one-bowl chocolate cake. Spoiler alert, they were delicious, and very much like eating a cupcake disguised as a donut.

The one thing I felt needed some tweaking was the amount of oil and sugar. Wow, shocker! We need to reduce the fat and sweetness of a breakfast food? NOOOOOO (she said sarcastically).

Other than that, I wanted to make these more Peppermint Mocha than just straight chocolate. Say hello to your holiday baking besties: instant decaf coffee and peppermint extract.

peppermint mocha donut on a ruffled pedestal next to a cooling rack of donuts and a towel from the front

Amp Up that Peppermint Mocha Flavor

Peppermint Mocha is three strong flavors combining to make holiday magic: Coffee, Chocolate, and Peppermint. In order to make the most of these flavors, we have to fine-tune the balance between all 3.

When it comes to the coffee flavor, it goes in two ways. You’ll add a half cup of cold brew and a tablespoon of instant coffee. For a donut you won’t mind giving your kids, I prefer using decaf iced coffee and instant coffee. It adds that flavor without a caffeine jolt.

For the pop of mint, you want to make sure you’re really careful how much goes in. Just a little bit is truly enough. Too much ends up tasting like a tube of toothpaste. In this recipe, we’ll only add a teeny tiny drop or two to our icing.

If even that’s too much for you, feel free to leave it out and add your mint in the form of crushed candy canes on top. This is your bake, after all.

The chocolate is rather mild in the donut batter with only one-third cup of cocoa powder. But don’t worry, the icing will more than cover your chocolate craving.

How to Decorate Peppermint Mocha Donuts

I’ve designed this recipe so you can make donuts and glaze and enjoy your peppermint mocha donuts. Wham bam!

If you’re an overachiever and just want these to be extra pretty, we’re going to make a white chocolate ganache drizzle and add some sprinkles.

To make the drizzle, heat 1-inch of water in a small saucepan. Fill a small, heat-proof bowl that will fit just over the top of your pan’s mouth. In that bowl, pour in your white chocolate chips and cream.

Bring the water up to a simmer and stir your ingredients until the chips begin to clump. Remove it from the double boiler at this point and continue stirring until it’s smooth.

Then, you’ll drizzle it over your donuts however you like to make them pretty. Add your festive sprinkles, and voila! You’ve got some fancy, tasty, delightful little holiday donuts!

peppermint mocha donut with a bite taken out of it

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