Baked Chocolate Donuts with Peppermint

This post contains affiliate links and may earn commissions on recommended products. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Perfect for Christmas morning, these easy baked chocolate donuts have a burst of peppermint flavor from the festive topping. Just like your favorite holiday drink!

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. I even figured out how to get that chocolate-coffee flavor combo in granola, with my Mocha Java Granola.

And since I made these peppermint mocha cupcakes a few years ago, I’ve been thinking about making peppermint mocha donuts.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Donuts feel festive no matter what, even the baked variety. For one thing, my kids get excited about chocolate donuts in a way they just don’t about chocolate 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 experienced the joys of frying donuts with potato donuts and pecan coffee donut holes, baking donuts means breakfast is on the table in a flash.

Since these chocolate donuts are family-friendly, the coffee flavor isn’t too strong. Coffee boosts 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. You still want the chocolate flavor to shine through, in my opinion!

Ingredients for baked chocolate donuts

Full list of ingredients with quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Flour
• Cocoa powder
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar
• Egg
• Milk (2% is fine)
• Brewed coffee (cooled)
• Vegetable oil, or melted butter
• Peppermint extract (not peppermint oil)
• Crushed candy canes

You can buy pre-crushed candy canes in bags during the holiday season. It is usually located near the other Christmas candies, but sometimes you can find it among the baking supplies.

Candy canes can also be crushed by hand, or chopped using a food processor.

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat your donut pan with nonstick spray. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, until evenly mixed. Whisk in the granulated sugar.

Whisk in the egg, milk, coffee (make sure it is cooled!), and oil. Mix together, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Don’t overmix; this is basically a muffin batter, so it doesn’t need to be completely smooth.

Use a spoon to scoop batter into the donut pan wells, filling them between 1/2 and 3/4 full. If you fill them too much, they will rise over the center hole and lose a bit of their characteristic shape.

You can also fill a piping bag with the batter and fill the pan that way, but I personally find it to be too fussy.

Bake the donuts for 10-12 minutes. They will be lightly springy to the touch.

Use a spoon or offset spatula to carefully remove the donuts from the pan and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

If you have more batter, wipe out the donut pan, re-spray, and fill with remaining batter. I find this recipe usually makes 8 or 9 donuts.

Glazing chocolate donuts

The glaze on top of these chocolate donuts is where they go from average to seasonal favorite. They remind me of a peppermint mocha!

To bring in that hit of peppermint flavor, I used peppermint extract in the glaze itself.

I recommend only using a pure peppermint extract to get the best flavor. Do not use peppermint oil!

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.

To make the glaze, use a bowl that has a bottom wide enough to fit the donuts.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and peppermint extract until completely smooth.

If the mixture seems too thick, add a touch more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

To glaze the donuts, hold the sides of the donut and dip the tops straight down into the glaze. Let the excess drip off, and place them on a wire cooling rack.

A fork or a spoon will also help greatly in moving the donuts out of the glaze, and you can use a toothpick to pop any bubbles if you’re picky.

Just make sure to adorn with crushed peppermint candies or sprinkles before the glaze hardens!

Storage tips

These donuts are best eaten right after the glaze hardens. They do not store well with the peppermint on top.

If you want to make these donuts in advance, I recommend waiting to add the glaze and candy canes until just before serving.

The unadorned donuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

More Christmas morning breakfast recipes

Looking for other recipes to round out breakfast?

Make some million dollar bacon along with a batch of roasted breakfast potatoes.

Feed a crowd with chocolate cinnamon rolls or tater tot breakfast casserole.

Serve up Christmas mimosas or creamy peanut butter hot chocolate. 

Cranberry orange muffins are a great addition to the table as well!

These baked chocolate donuts with peppermint are soft, sweet, and minty — the ideal antidote to any winter blues and a delightful option for Christmas morning breakfast.