Baked chocolate peppermint donuts with brownie-like richness and refined sugar-free sweetness from Medjool dates for a decadent holiday dessert!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS®
Did you really think I was going to post only gingerbread recipes the whole month?
If you did, you were almost right. But then the idea for these Medjool date sweetened, dark and chocolatey, decadently fudgy, candy cane decorated donuts happened in my head. And I couldn’t say no.
Is it a brownie? Is it a donut? YES.
It’s basically the most holiday appropriate way to disguise a brownie as a Christmas dessert. Because I know it’s the month of the cookie and all, but I am confident I can convince you that December donuts need NEED to happen…
Why you need these Medjool Date Chocolate Peppermint Donuts in your December life:
- Chocolate. In rich and dark and decadent quantities.
- Only 7 ingredients.
- Vegan and paleo. In case you have/are that picky person at the Christmas party.
- No flour or refined sugar thanks to…
- Medjool dates! They are the sweetener and the binder, making things healthier and fudgier at the same time.
Bonus! This is the perfect way to repurpose those candy canes that just seem to appear this time of year. In your house. And your car. Where do they come from? Where are they going in life?
The batter. This is easier than easy. Our key players are Medjool dates, almond milk, nut or seed butter, and cacao powder. Then baking soda for fluff. And salt and peppermint extract for flavor. I recommend blending the Medjool dates with the liquid ingredients first to get it as lump free as possible, then adding the dry. If you are using really fresh and squishy Medjool dates, you won’t need to soak them. But if your Medjool dates are harder, then soak for 30 minutes in warm water and drain first.
Which is reason #354 I love Natural Delights®, their Medjool dates are always fresh and squishy. Plus organic and already pitted for you too if you want them to be! The organic pitted is probably my favorite variety they offer, but all of them are delicious and will work perfectly here.
The glaze. You have two options – both easy, neither required.
- Melted chocolate. Semi sweet or dark, drizzled or dipped.
- Coconut butter + cacao powder. Not sweetened, but delicious with a sweet donut underneath
Personally I went with option two, but there is no wrong choice. Because chocolate.
The sprinkles. I just used plain ol’ candy canes crushed up and sprinkled on . You could opt for a healthier/vegan/organic candy cane brand, those do exist. Or shredded coconut looks lovely and snow-like on top too.
Chocolate, peppermint, Medjool dates, and your oven all pitched in to bring this delicious donut gift to you. I promise you won’t be needing the gift receipt.
WATCH HOW TO


Medjool Date Chocolate Peppermint Donuts
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 donuts 1x
- Category: chocolate
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Baked chocolate peppermint donuts with brownie-like richness and refined sugar-free sweetness from Medjool dates for a decadent holiday dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) Natural Delights® pitted Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup (120g) nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup (125g) nut/seed butter (I used almond butter)
- 1/2 cup (40g) cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips
- OR 1/2 cup coconut butter + 2 tbsp cacao powder
Optional: crushed candy canes to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Blend the Medjool dates, nondairy milk, almond butter, and peppermint extract.
- Transfer to a bowl. Add the cacao powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix.
- Spoon or pipe into a donut pan (silicone or lightly oiled so they don’t stick). You will get about 6 full size donuts or 10 minis.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes at 350F.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Then flip onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Dip or drizzle with glaze and sprinkle with candy canes if using. Chill for the glaze to set.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 239
- Sugar: 23g
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 6g
Keywords: vegan, paleo, christmas, dessert, holiday, gluten-free, mint
These look amazing! I don’t have a donut pan though. Can I bake them in a muffin tin or cake pan?
For sure! In a full size muffin tin they will take about 20-25 minutes, or 15ish in a mini 🙂
Thanks so much!!
Aubree, I was wondering the same thing. Natalie?
For sure! In a full size muffin tin they will take about 20-25 minutes, or 15ish in a mini 🙂
Yum looks so good and so simple too! Also loving the music Natalie.😄
Hehe thanks Saskia❤️
Hi there!
Where did you get your donut mold?
Thx!
Just got it on amazon for like $10! I can’t find teh exact one anymore since it was years ago, but search for “mini silicone donut pan” and you’ll fine em👌
This is definitely a keeper!! Chcoolate and mint sounds perfect for Xmas! Thanks a lot for the recipe, will make a spot in my cooking schedule these holidays to give these ones a shot!
happy holidays!
Yay!! I am so happy you are going to give them a try Susanna😊
Any idea how a different date would work? I have lots of deglet noor. I make donuts for my kids all the time and would love to switch from cane sugar to dates!
That would work too! Just go be the weight measurement or pack the cup quite tight to get the same volume 🙂
Natalie, these are just beautiful! I love, love the Chocolate peppermint combo too, it doesn’t get more Christmasy than that. I’m literally SO SAD that Christmas is in just a week. I’ve been posting like 3 times a week because I have so many recipes I want to get up before Christmas, but there just isn’t enough time, why does it have to come up on us so fast?!! Anyways I can’t believe these are legit flourless, they look so much like a brownie, it is like the fudgiest donut ever! I mean that inside shot of it looks fluffy and like super moist and brownie-ish at the same time. I’m so wanting one right now and with all the peppermints on top I just can’t take it! Some of the prettiest donuts I’ve seen!
Hahaha so much holiday baking cheer to spread, so little time😭😂 But agreed, this month has gone CRAZY fast and I can’t believe xmas is almost here too. I hope you manage to squeeze in everything you have planned😋
These are amazing. I made them today. They are moist and flavorful!
My only trouble was piping the batter into the donut pan….the batter is very thick and might need a bit more milk to thin it out a smidge. Also I recommend a very strong plastic bag and just snip a small end off the corner. It took me a couple of bags to get it right 😉
I will definitely make these again.
Thank you Natalie for creating these delicious, clean dessert recipes!
Hmm mine piped super easy, no issues at all. Perhaps your batter was too thick, I would try adding a bit more milk or less flour next time. But I am glad you liked them even still🤗
I followed the recipe 100% and also found they were super difficult to pipe. You mention using “less flour” next time but aren’t these are flourless? 🤔
Excuse the typo above. Meant to ask “Aren’t these flourless?” in regards to your response to someone to use less flour next time. Unfortunately, these did not come out well for me. Piping was very difficult. The “batter” was thick and sticky. I followed the instructions & measurements 100%. I guess more milk next time??
Hmm sorry to hear you had trouble with these. And yes my bad they are flourless, I meant less dry ingredients which in this case would just be cacao/cocoa powder. Or you could try adding more milk. Also how thick/runny was your nut butter? That could make a different in batter texture too!
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for your reply. I wondered if my nut butter could of been the problem too? I use the raw, fresh nut butter that you get at Whole Foods, straight from the grinding machine. Do you think that’s too thick? I assumed healthier since it is fresh?
Yep that’s probably the issue! Those freshly ground nut butters tend to be MUCH thicker. I’d recommend almond butter in a jar that’s already ground, just look for one without added sugar and it’s just as healthy imo😊
Thank you, Natalie! I will definitely do that! 🙂
These look absolutely insane!!! Cannot wait to try these. Love medjool dates; they are just so versatile in baking!
Agreed! Sweet and delicious and perfect in so many things😊
These are delicious. I used the juice the dates soaked in and a shot of expresso. I also used tahini for the seed/nut butter. This gave a deep dark chocolate taste that was absolutely decadent. Great recipe!!!
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Oh I love the espresso idea! I have to try that, yours sound amazing😋 Thanks for the feedback Martha!
I am so excited to try these! I want to bring them to a Christmas party next week, will they keep well in the fridge if I make them a couple days ahead of time?
Thank you for always making my tummy so happy!!!
Sure! Just don’t frost them till right before you go and they will be fine 🙂 Enjoy and happy holidays!
SO delicious Christmas donuts! These may have to be an every-Christmas thing!!! No pics this time, since I didn’t read or think to oil my pan ahead…. But they WILL be made again VERY soon! Delicious even without the glaze–that I didn’t have time to make before I brought them to work with me. And I didn’t leave any for my husband, but he and I shared one before I left 🙂 (And he has artichoke spinach dip, so he isn’t neglected :D)
Thank you for an amazing recipe! And Merry Christmas, Natalie!
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Awww bummer on the sticking to the pan part, but I am so happy you liked them anyways! I agree they are so rich and moist they really don’t need the glaze, but it does make them extra festive. Thank you for the awesome feedback Juanita, and happy new years to you 🙂
I made this and they tasted so heavenly! My non vegan fam were eating this up so fast lol. Usually vegan food I bake are dry but, this was so moist I loved it 😀 The only slight drawback was the cocoa powder I used made the donuts taste a bit bitter. Is there any way I could sweeten this up? Would less cocoa powder or adding sugar work?
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I am so happy you and your family liked them Rose! This is one of my favorites too, the dates keep them super moist. As for the bitterness, adding a little bit (like 2-4 tbsp of sugar would definitely help). I don’t recommend decreasing the cocoa as that’s the only dry ingredient and they may become TOO moist/mushy in that case. Or you could try using cacao powder instead of cocoa as it is naturally less bitter. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much! I honestly didn’t realize cocoa and cacao powder were different lol. Will definitely make this recipe again 😊
Would using a microwave oven be possible?
Also, if I use unsweetened coca powder would I have to add more sugar?
Unsweetened cocoa is fine and what I use, so no you don’t need to adjust the sweetness. But I’m not sure these would work in a microwave. You could try putting some of the batter in a mug and microwaving for 2 minutes or so on high to see if it could work as a mug cake, but I haven’t tested it.
My kids and I made these this morning. Not Christmas time, but I don’t think they cared haha! These were so good, we ate a bunch of the dough before making it into the pan. Guilt free donuts, thank you so much!!
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Ha chocolate + peppermint definitely doesn’t need to be relegated to one month a year if you ask me, I am so happy you guys liked them!! And the batter, always my favorite part too. Happy saturday😊
Yummy.
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So good! Hope you give them a try😋
Could you make sweet potato donuts with this recipe by substituting the dates for the sweet potato puree, and omitting the cacao and peppermint?
Thanks, Liz
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I don’t think they will be sweet enough since sweet potato is not NEARLY as sweet as dates and that’s the only sweetener here. But you are welcome to try it, or try it and maybe add 1/4 cup coconut sugar or so 🙂 And if you omit the cacao powder you will need to add some flour to make up for it since there is no other dry ingredient!
I’m planning to make these this weekend. I was wondering, If I wanted to divide the batter in half, to make some sort of marbled donuts/muffins, for the part without the cacao, how would I balance the consistency? Instead of adding 40 gr of cacao to the whole batter, I would do 20 gr of cacao for one side and maybe 20 gr of flour for the other. Would that work? Or maybe I should give up this marble idea? 😀
I love that idea!! And yes, half with cacao and half with flour would be my best recommendation. What kind of flour did you have in mind? The flour half might be a little bit drier if you use like oat flour, so maybe use 15g for that half. Good luck, can’t wait to hear how it goes…🤗
I’m so thrilled that I stumbled upon your website. I’m always on the lookout for good gluten-free and vegan dessert recipes. You use ingredients that I love. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I made these donuts yesterday. I think they are the best chocolate donuts I’ve ever tasted! So fudgy and yummy. Brought some to work today to share and get feedback. Everyone loved them and couldn’t believe they’re made with dates. I’m going to make more to give out as yummy Christmas present treats.
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!!!
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I am SO happy to hear you guys loved these🍩❤️ That is wonderful to hear, hope you have a very sweet and merry Christmas!
I am absolutely FREAKING OUT about how good these are. The texture is amazingly fudgy and rich, and the chocolate glaze just sends them over the top. I’m always on the lookout for oil-free and fruit-sweetened desserts, and your blog always comes to my rescue. My entire family loved them! I even accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda, and they still came out wonderfully! Thank you so much for the recipe. I look forward to more recipes (for donuts and otherwise) in the future 😄
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YAY!! I am so happy they were a success, even better when the whole family approves🤗🤗 And happy I can come through for you on the healthier chocolatey treats. Thank you for the lovely feedback and happy holidays❤️
Love the ingredients in this recipe! However, I don’t like the taste of any nut butter, so I was wondering if you can taste it in this recipe? I’d love to try it.
And, Yes, I am looking at Christmas peppermint chocolate donuts in August.
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I personally think both mint and the amount of chocolate here are strong enough to cover any bit of nutty flavor, but if you don’t like nut butters you may be more sensitive than I am. I would recommend cashew butter or almond, those are the most neutral in flavor!
Thanks for your reply, I’ll give it a try with almond butter!
Let me know what you think Daisy 🙂
Can i try substituting raisins for dates???
Sure, but it will give the donuts a much fruitier flavor that I am not sure will pair great with peppermint😕 You could skip the mint though!
You are an actual genius. These are phenommmmmmmmmenal. I omitted peppermint extract and put it all in a loaf pan for brownies and *droooool*. They even have the crinkly top of traditional brownies!
Ooooh I love that idea!! I am totally trying this one in brownie form now too, easier and just as fudgy🤗 SO happy you liked them Sunny, appreciate the feedback and idea!