Peppermint Hot Chocolate Donuts

This is the time of year when limited edition goodies are out. The new lattes, the mint chocolate everything -- the...donuts? (P.S Don't forget I made Candy Cane Cheesecake Brownies!!!!) (P.P.S I installed a new feature on the website so you can pin/tweet/facebook my recipes and photos easier! What do you think??)

Well if you live in Canada then you know Tim Hortons. OH TIM! How I owe so many of my successful early classes to you. You with your reliable favourites and sadly gluten everything. Well I saw some of their holiday donuts and the chocolate candy cane one caught my eye. I swooned, I fell so hard I could barely see straight! But I knew for certain one thing was true: that donut would lure me in, it would whisper sweet nothings in my ear and then it would tear me up from the inside out!


So while that seems lovely in everything, let us instead take a more, ahem, gentle approach:

A yes...a soft, moist, rich velvety chocolate donut with a chocolate mint glaze and all the sprinkles a gal could ask for. Without the tummy ache. Sorry, Tim...I win this time!

The fluffiness of these donuts are something I have never before experienced. They are SO soft, fluffy and delicately sweetened. Ahhh....all that, and vegan too. How kind of you, little donuts. I appreciate you.

DO YOU SEE THAT SOFT BOUNCY TEXTURE!?

Plain is beautiful but those Tim's donuts have a gorgeous chocolate glaze and candy candy topping. And so, too, will mine. 

Because I never liked simple, anyways. Although if you want to forgo the chocolate, that's okay, too....I guess.

In the end they are beautiful whichever way you want them!

So while I dive into one of these bad boys with a warm cup of almond milk, I cannot emphasize enough how much you MUST MAKE THESE. You simply must. Really. 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Donuts 

Yields 16 - 18 Donuts 

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Vegan 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
• 3/4 cup vegan buttermilk*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate, melted 
• 2 tablespoons yogurt (greek or non-dairy of choice)
• Egg replacer for two eggs (2 teaspoons plus 4 tablespoons water)*
• Optional: 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

*I prefer egg replacer to flax eggs but you use whichever method you prefer! Of course you can substitute this with 2 eggs!

For the Chocolate Mint Glaze:

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate, melted
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2-4 tablespoons icing sugar (optional)
• 1/8th teaspoon peppermint extract
• Optional Decorations: crushed candy cane, sprinkles, chocolate pieces, etc for garnish

For an alternate Vanilla Glaze:

• Find my Vanilla Glaze Recipe here and use whatever flavourings and colourings you would like!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 
2. Grease at least 2 donut pans and set aside (I use the Wilton brand pans and you can just use 1 and wash in between batches!)
3. In a large mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients and whisk together
4. Add in all wet ingredients and stir together until fully combined
5. Scoop batter into a pastry bag or large ziploc bag, cut the tip off and pip your donuts into the pan ensuring it is no more than 2/3 of the way full
6. Bake each batch of donuts for 10 - 12 minutes making sure to cool the pan off completely before you re-use it
7. Gently lift the pan up and gently agitate it and the donuts should fall right out -- put them on a wire rack to cool!
8. Allow donuts to cool completely before glazing them!
9. For the glaze combine all ingredients in a small bowl until it is a thick syrup consistency, adjusting if need be by adding liquid to thin it out
10. Dip top half of donut (I dip the smoother end) into the glaze, gently wiggle the donut while upside down to get ride of excess, then place bottom half down onto parchment paper or baking sheet
11. While glaze is wet add sprinkles and garnish 
12. Allow to dry fully before packaging them (note: the vanilla glaze dries quicker and harder than the chocolate glaze) 

And that's it. Boom. I am pretty sure these are the most magical donuts on the planet.



The decorating options are truly limitless:

Yes, the glaze is not sugar free. And sprinkles aren't either. But sometimes -- you just gotta live a little, you know? How much and how little you use is up to you! You could also use a good quality mint chocolate bar to melt down and drizzle over these, too.

Or you could smash up candy canes, your favourite candies, and other fun things and plop those on top, too!

There is no wrong way to eat these. Okay, there is. Like if you put these on a salad that would probably be not so yum.

And these would probably not be good on pizza. Unless it's dessert pizza. Is it dessert pizza?


I wish I could try the Tim's donuts. Timbits were my jam back in the day. Those sour cream glazed donuts? OHHH YEAHHH! My absolute favourites! Timbits are more or less my way of rewarding everyone so I am definitely going to have to figure out how to de-gluten those. Too bad I didn't have a de-gluten-ifying machine. That would be cool.


Have you tried the Tim Horton's Holiday Donuts? It is just me or are they rolling out way more holiday/limited edition type thangs then they used to? Perhaps competing with another popular coffee chain (I am looking at you green mermaid)!

I sincerely hope you try these and let me know how you like them!


Happy Hot Chocolate Donut Dunkin'!

XO