Mini Baked Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts

First I made cheesecake bars, then there were shortbread cookies, and now here I am with another peppermint holiday dessert, this time doughnuts! For those of you who hate peppermint, I promise this is the last one (at least for a little while)!

These go a step further than basic peppermint by adding chocolate and coffee flavours to resemble one of my favourite Starbucks’ holiday drinks, the peppermint mocha. (Although I’ve since discovered white peppermint mocha frappucinos and that is now my new favourite drink – try it!)

Though I don’t often make doughnuts because they’re better eaten fresh and I don’t usually have a big group of people to feed fresh doughnuts to, I do love them because they’re so cute and easy to eat, plus they’re a little better for you than their full-sized, fried counterpart.

These little guys have a coffee chocolate base covered in a peppermint white chocolate glaze with a sprinkle of crushed candy canes on top. They’re so festive looking and reminded me a lot of a peppermint mocha!

These had just the right amount of subtle coffee flavour for me, but you could add more coffee or espresso powder if you want a strong coffee taste. Or you could eliminate it and just go with a chocolate base if you don’t like coffee. Similarly, you could eliminate the peppermint extract from the icing if you’re not into minty things – I know some people who tried these weren’t really a fan and I assume it’s because they either don’t like coffee baked goods or minty baked goods or the combination of the two. If you’re not sure if you do, just leave out the coffee and peppermint and you’ll have a chocolate doughnut with a little crunch of candy cane that will be just as good!

In other news, my holiday preparations are in a lot better shape than the last time I wrote – all but one of my gifts I ordered online have now arrived and I’ve finished my shopping for all but two people. I’m sure people who finished their shopping in November would scoff at that, but it’s pretty good for me! I’m also done with school for the semester (though I’ll still have work to do from home over the holidays) and am looking forward to spending lots of time with my family and boyfriend and doing lots of Christmassy activities over the next week!

Mini Baked Peppermint Mocha Doughnuts

Idea inspired by Starbucks’ peppermint mocha; glaze recipe my own; chocolate doughnut recipe adapted from Buns in My Oven

Makes 24 mini doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Coffee Doughnuts:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon instant coffee

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a teaspoon of white vinegar added)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the White Chocolate Peppermint Glaze:

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract - optional for peppermint flavour, but you could leave out and just use the candy canes if you like

1-2 tablespoons milk

Crushed candy canes (about 1/4 cup total)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Lightly spray a mini doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa, salt, and instant coffee.  In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, and vegetable oil.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just incorporated.  Transfer mixture to a ziplock bag, snip off the corner, and squeeze the batter into the doughnut pan, only filling each mold halfway full (they will puff up when baking).  It's a lot easier to fill the molds by squeezing it out of a bag, trust me.

Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through and the top springs back when touched.  Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Prepare icing by melting the chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave, then stirring in the icing sugar and peppermint extract (if using).  Add 1 tablespoon of milk, stir, and add up to 1 additional tablespoon of milk until desired consistency is reached (I used the full 2 tablespoons, which makes a thin glaze).

Once doughnuts have cooled, dip the top of each doughnut in the icing, then set back on the wire rack, which should be placed over a baking sheet or sheet or parchment paper to catch drippings.  I like to coat each doughnut twice to ensure there is enough glaze.  Only coat a few doughnuts at a time the second time, then sprinkle crushed candy cane over the top while the icing is still wet so it sticks.

These are best served immediately and eaten on the same day, but note that after about half a day, the candy canes may start to melt into the icing.

Candy Cane Oreo Cheesecake Bars

I think it’s safe to say that after this past weekend, I’m now officially in the holiday spirit.  True, I had already started listening to Christmas music long ago, I’d already bought a few gifts, and had already decorated two trees, but this weekend I helped decorate a real tree at my parents’ house, I watched my first Christmas movie of the season (Arthur Christmas – loved it!), I saw the CP Holiday Train (check their schedule to see if it’s coming to your city, it was amazing!), and the real kicker is that I started my holiday baking!

When I saw candy cane Oreos in the store, I knew I had to bake something with them.  Okay, technically I didn't use Oreos, as the candy cane version isn’t available in Canada, but PC’s “Eat the Middle First” cookies are just as good, and since their name is longer, I’m just going to stick with calling them Oreos.

The first idea that popped into my head was using the candy cane Oreos to make cheesecake.  I had made these cheesecake bars before and loved them, so I knew I would love them even more with a festive twist!

These are really easy to make – you use the candy cane Oreos in the crust and mixed into the batter, then throw in some peppermint extract and crushed candy canes for extra peppermint flavour!  I love cheesecake bars because they’re portable and bite sized, and everyone I shared them with loved them too!

For some reason I’m really into making candy cane flavoured treats so far this year (though I have lots of ideas for gingerbread and eggnog flavours too!), so you can probably expect a few more peppermint baked goods to appear soon!

Candy Cane Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Makes about 16 bars

*Note, I used PC’s Candy Cane Eat the Middle First cookies instead of Oreos, and the package comes with 31 cookies, so rather than having to buy two boxes, I just reduced the amount of cookies I used in the crust and filling.  I wrote the original suggested number of cookies in the ingredients list, with the amount I used (which worked fine) in brackets.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

23 Candy Cane Oreos (I used 21)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

12 oz (one and a half bricks) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

12 Candy Cane Oreos, roughly chopped (I used 10)

1 tablespoons finely crushed candy cane, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang around the edges to easily lift the bars out of the pan later.   Lightly spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray.

To make the crust, finely crush the Oreos in a food processor.  Add the melted butter and pulse until cookie crumbs are moistened.  Pour mixture into the prepared pan and press crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then set aside.  Leave the oven on.

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the sugar until well combined.  Mix in the sour cream, peppermint extract, and salt.  Beat in the egg and egg yolk until incorporated.  Stir in the chopped oreos and crushed candy cane with a rubber spatula.  (Note that the crushed candy cane may slightly tint the cheesecake pink, so if you don’t want that effect than you can leave it out.  I liked the extra sprinkle of colour it added!)

Pour the cheesecake batter over the baked crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.  Bake for 40 minutes, until the cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly jiggles in the middle.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool at room temperature for about one hour, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours (I chilled mine overnight).

To cut the bars, pull the entire cheesecake out of the pan by lifting the foil edges, then peel away foil and slice into bars.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake

I’m so excited to share this cheesecake with you guys because it’s not only my favourite cheesecake, but also my favourite holiday recipe! I first made it last December and was told by multiple people that it was their favourite thing I’d ever made, so there was no question that I was making it again this year (and you should too)!

I think the secret to this cheesecake’s success is the melted white chocolate in the batter. While others might not detect it, it gives the filling a rich taste and creamy texture, and also pairs perfectly with the peppermint. I mixed crushed candy canes into the batter instead of using peppermint extract because the red and green sparkles gave the cake more of a festive look, but if you want to make sure that enough peppermint flavour comes through, you can add some extract too. 

The original recipe calls for a graham cracker crust but I think Oreo is the perfect match here. And my favourite part of the cake is the Cool Whip topping – not just because it adds to the festive, snowy look of the cake but also because it covers up any cracks or mistakes it may have (not that my cheesecakes ever end up with Grand Canyon-sized cracks, of course, not at all…)

I had to give this cake away immediately so that I didn’t end up eating the whole thing myself, but I soon regretted that decision – after all, the holidays are meant for indulgence, right? 

White Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake

Adapted from Kraft

Ingredients:

1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 bricks (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

3 large eggs

4 squares Baker’s White Chocolate (or 4 oz white chocolate), melted

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional for a stronger peppermint flavour)

1-2 cups thawed Cool Whip frozen whipped topping

1/2 cup chopped candy canes, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix Oreo cookie crumbs with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended. Stir in the melted chocolate and peppermint extract, if using. Gently stir in 1/4 cup finely crushed candy canes. Pour batter over the pre-baked crust.

Bake cheesecake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until center is almost set. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake so that it doesn’t crack as it cools. Let cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Immediately before serving, spread Cool Whip over the top of the cheesecake and sprinkle remaining chopped candy canes on top. This should be done before serving as the candy canes start to bleed their colour into the cool whip if left to sit for a while.