Baked Christmas Donuts
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 52 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
For The Donuts:
2 cups flour
½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder, optional
¼ cup Butter, melted
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
For The Glaze:
¼ cup heavy cream
2 cups Powdered Sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ cup red melting chocolate also known as candy melts
¼ cup white melting chocolate also known as candy melts
6 peppermint candies crushed, or candy cane
Directions:
For the Donuts:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease two donut pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and optional espresso powder. in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix together until well blended.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, mix together melted butter and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each egg. Pour in the cream and the peppermint extract, mixing again until fully blended.
Place the dry ingredients in the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix to combine, first on low and then up to medium. The donut batter will be a little on the thick side.
Add the batter to a piping bag or a zip top bag. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors and use it to pipe the batter into the donut pans. Wipe any dribbles of batter spill on the edges of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through.
Allow donuts to cool in the pan for at least five minutes, then transfer donuts to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For The Glaze:
Heat the heavy cream in a heatproof bowl in the microwave until just warm to the touch, but not boiling. In a medium-sized bowl, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, and heavy cream. Mix well with a wire whisk or a fork until smooth.
When the donuts are cool to the touch, dip the top of each donut in the glaze. Place the donuts back in the wire rack to allow the glaze to set and harden.
Place the red and white chocolate candy melts in small heatproof bowls. Melt in the microwave according to the instructions on the bag. With a spoon, add the red and white chocolate into their own piping bag or a strong zip-top bag.
Snip a small corner of each bag with scissors. Pipe thin stripes over the top of each donut. Sprinkle crushed peppermint quickly over the top of each donut before the red and white chocolate sets.
Notes:
Another way to test to see if the donuts are finished cooking by gently tapping the donut with your finger. If the dough springs back to your touch they are done baking. Be careful not to burn your fingers on the hot pan using this method.
If baking donuts in a silicone pan, I highly recommend placing the pan on a metal baking sheet before placing it in the oven. This will keep the pan sturdier which will keep you from accidentally spilling hot batter in the oven. Silicone pans don’t need to be sprayed with oil or greased before baking.
Substitutions:
Heavy Cream- Half and half can be substituted cup for cup. Milk can also be substituted but the donuts will not have quite as rich of a flavor. If using milk, use at least 2%. If looking for a dairy-free milk option, I recommend coconut milk.
Melting Chocolates- The red and white melting chocolates, (also called candy melts) can be found in most craft stores and some grocery store baking aisles. White chocolate chips can be swapped for the white chocolate, or you can simply just add sprinkles without a drizzle. Do not try to add food coloring to make white chocolate red, as the liquid in food coloring will cause the white chocolate to seize and become grainy.
Peppermint Candies- These round peppermint candies are crushed and used as decorations. Candy canes can also be used, or any colorful holiday sprinkles. Mini chocolate chips or chopped Andes chocolate mints can also be used to decorate. The donuts can be enjoyed glazed with no decorations.
Expresso Powder- Expresso powder is completely optional. It will give these Christmas donuts more of a deep, rich mocha flavor. Instant coffee can also be used but will have less of a coffee flavor. Expresso powder can also be left out completely.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 473kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 6gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 162mgPotassium: 209mgFiber: 3gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 815IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 2mg
Recipe courtesy of Fun Recipe Ideas.com
