My mom and I make an Irish coffee each St Patrick’s day. We’ve been doing it for years. Before heading to the St Patrick’s day parade, we’d make Irish coffees at home, pack them in a thermos, and drink them while at the parade. Sometimes we’d even go to our local Irish pub for one. This year, we’re adding these baked Irish coffee donuts to our morning.
Irish coffee is made of brown sugar, hot coffee, and Irish whiskey then topped with thick whipped cream. As the drink sits, the thick whipped cream melts into the coffee, giving it a milky creamy mouth feel. The sweetness of the brown sugar and whiskey balances the bitterness of the black coffee. On those cold mornings, Irish coffee is just perfection. It’s a warm cup of happiness that warms you from the inside out.
These donuts encompass everything an Irish coffee is. The donuts are filled with strong coffee, milk, and brown sugar. The whiskey glaze is whiskey forward in taste without the burn.
The coffee flavor of the donuts is due to instant coffee. The type of instant coffee you use will make a large impact on the flavor of the donuts. A more acidic bitter instant coffee with result in a more bitter flavored donut. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of sugar, milk, and butter to balance out the bitterness of the coffee.
Allowing the batter to rest before piping it into the donut pans is also important. This time makes for a more fluffy donut. The texture is light and airy. You can pipe the batter using a pastry pipe or a plastic bag. Personally, I prefer to use a plastic bag because of the cleanup.
The icing of this donut completes it. The whiskey pairs well with powdered sugar and milk. Make sure to add the liquids, a couple of tablespoons at a time, before adding more. This way you can monitor the consistency of the glaze. If it gets too liquidy, add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it back to a glaze.
These donuts are best served fresh but can keep for a couple of days. Eat them with a fresh cup of Irish coffee and enjoy the rest of the festive day. But make sure not to drive after a few!
Irish Coffee Donuts
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 5 grams instant coffee
- 4 tbsp whole milk or nut milk
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar - for the whiskey drizzle glaze
- 3-4 tbsp Irish whiskey - for the whiskey drizzle glaze
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream - for the whiskey drizzle glaze
Instructions
In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, add the sugars and unsalted butter. Whisk until fully mixed together and fluffed, roughly 2 minutes. Add the eggs and whisk again for another minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. At the lowest speed, mix until fully combined.
In a small bowl, add the boiling water and instant coffee. Mix the two until the instant coffee dissolves. Add the milk to the coffee then add it all to the stand mixer. On low, mix until the coffee mixture is fully mixed into the batter.
Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Pipe the batter into a non-stick donut pan. The batter will rise while baking so keep that in mind. Put the donuts into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Allow the donuts to cool for an additional minute or two in the pan before cooling them further on a cooling rack.
While the donuts are cooling, make the whiskey drizzle glaze. Mix the powdered sugar, Irish whiskey, and milk together until a creamed glaze forms. The glaze should drizzle off the spoon.
Drizzle the whiskey glaze on the donuts. Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!