Make This Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Recipe At Home When You Want A Sweet Treat

Drinks On The Leaked Dunkin' Winter Menu

NEW! Lava Cake Signature Latte

Lava Cake Swirl flavoring, whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and hot chocolate powder. Now that's a mouthful! That's exactly how this new rumored drink is built – with tons and tons of chocolate. If you've got a strong sweet tooth, start marking your calendar for December 31 (AKA when the Dunkin' winter menu is rumored to drop).

NEW! Lava Cake Coffee

Dunkin' is also rumored to feature the new Lava Cake Swirl flavoring in this creamy coffee. It looks like it'll be available to order hot or iced!

Brown Sugar Shakin' Espresso

Um, Starbucks dupe, anyone?! Dunkin's version of the famed Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso is rumored to follow a very similar recipe to the Starbies way: espresso (shaken until frothy), brown sugar syrup, and oat milk. I can't wait to try this one and see how it measures up to my routine Starbucks order.

Brown Sugar Oat Iced Matcha Latte

Per menu leaks, it also appears Dunkin' will offer two new in-app exclusive drinks, the first being the Brown Sugar Oat Iced Matcha Latte. It's like your average iced matcha latte, amped up with some brown sugar syrup and oat milk. Yum.

Raspberry Lava Cake Coffee

The second in-app exclusive drink on the leaked Dunkin' winter menu is the Raspberry Lava Cake Coffee, which features a dose of Lava Cake Swirl alongside a raspberry flavor shot and cream. You'll be able to order this one hot or iced.

Food On The Leaked Dunkin' Winter Menu

NEW! Whoopie Pie Specialty Donut

Now, onto the good stuff. The Dunkin' winter menu leak suggests that a new donut is on the way! The Whoopie Pie Specialty Donut will feature a halved glazed chocolate cake donut that's filled with vanilla whipped buttercreme icing and topped with a cute lil' buttercreme rosette.

Iced Lemon Loaf Cake

Okay, yet another Starbucks similarity! The menu leak speculates this zesty-sweet snack will return on December 31. Dunkin's Iced Lemon Loaf Cake is moist as can be, and is topped with a thick layer of lemon icing.

More Leaked Dunkin' Menu Items

Dunkin' Valentine's Donuts

The menu leak that announced the Dunkin' winter menu for 2025 also dropped some hints about the chain's Valentine's Day offerings.

According to the leak, the Brownie Batter (pictured above) and Cupid's Choice donuts will return on January 29. What's even more exciting is that a new iteration of Dunkin's Munchkins will be available, too!

The new Valentine's Munchkins will reportedly be made from glazed chocolate donut holes coated in Valentine's-esque sprinkles. I'm craving them already!

1. Chestnut Praline Latte (Starbucks)

To me, nutty flavors are especially holiday-like. For example, Starbucks' Chestnut Praline Latte packs a flavorful punch with not one, but two different nuts. It's deliciously sweet (but not overly so) and fittingly festive now that the coffee chain's serving their holiday drinks in red and green cups.

2. Orange Mocha

I recently tried an orange mocha for the first time, and I must say I'm hooked. While you may think of orange as more of a summer flavor, when you pair it with mocha sauce and a nice cinnamon-clove topping, it's totally winter-esque. If you still crave the chocolatey vibes of a peppermint mocha – but have been pepperminted out recently – give the orange mocha a try! Bonus points if you use dark chocolate for the mocha component.

3. Cookie Butter Cold Brew (Dunkin’)

Next up is none other than the Cookie Butter Cold Brew from Dunkin'. This iced bev is part of their current holiday menu, and a single sip of it instantly transports me to the kitchen on Christmas Eve, where my fam is ferociously baking up Christmas cookies. It's also got notes of warm spices, which amp up the holiday vibes even more.

4. Sugar Cookie Latte (Starbucks)

As another massive holiday menu hit from Starbs, the Sugar Cookie Latte is (in my opinion!) immediately way more fun than a peppermint mocha because the top of the drink gets finished off with tiny red and green sugar sprinkles. You just can't be mad at cute sprinks.

5. Peppermint Matcha Latte

Peppermint syrup in a matcha latte is truly unmatched... a master barista move, if you ask me. The minty effect mixed with matcha's earthier notes is just too good. If you've never tried this combo before, now's your sign! Plus, I'd like to think this peppermint-y bev is a bit lighter than your average peppermint mocha since it's not loaded with chocolate or espresso, which, when consumed in conjunction, can really kickstart a crazy sugar rush.

6. White Russian

I'd take a creamy cocktail over a peppermint mocha any day. Luckily, the traditional recipe for a White Russian includes coffee liqueur, so you can still get your fix of caffeine! I personally only really drink this around the holidays, and it's always been quite a warm welcome to the most wonderful time of the year.

7. Chai Espresso Martini

Espresso martinis are essentially season-less, but when you throw some chai into the recipe, they become so much more fit for the holidays. Just look at that festive star anise garnish!

8. Hot Toddy

Hot toddiesget me goin' way more than the thought of peppermint mochas do. They're super easy to make at home with just three ingredients, bourbon being the most important one. It's just the thing the doctor ordered, especially after being out in the cold winter weather.

9. Mulled Wine

Mulled wine – in whatever wine iteration, red or white – is one of the most rewarding holiday drinks. You just let all the ingredients simmer for an hour or two, and anyone who likes mulled wine knows that the warm, fuzzy feeling of your first sip is truly unbeatable.

Elle remembers "sobbing" during one particularly emotional Dakota Fanning movie.

“When Elle’s in anything, it makes me feel it deeper,” Dakota Fanning said at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit on December 3. “She never can fully disappear into a character totally for me as her sister. She obviously does an amazing job, but I’m always gonna see my little sister a little bit.”

And Elle is just as touched by Dakota's roles, and remembers "uncontrollably sobbing" after seeing Now Is Good, a movie where Dakota's character was dying of cancer. “Because it was my sister, I had a real traumatic reaction after that premiere and the screening,” Elle says. “Obviously the acting, but it was something felt on a deeper level.”

“I’m doing this job, I’m an actor because my sister started before me and I watched her,” Elle continues. “I wanted to do exactly what my big sister wanted to do.”

And their movies have also made an impact on everyone who watches them.

When Brit + Co caught up with Dakota Fanning at the world premiere of The Watchers, I had to ask about one of her most iconic movies: Uptown Girls. "I love it," she says of TikTok memes and edits giving the movie new life. "It's nostalgic for people who are kind of around my age, who grew up watching that movie, I think it's like a comfort movie for people. And so I love that people are still revisiting it and loving it. And maybe now that everyone's older [they're] understanding different things about it."

Dakota starred opposite Brittany Murphy, who also had roles in movies like Clueless, 8 Mile, and Girl, Interrupted. Brittany passed away in 2009 when Dakota was 15. "I loved Brittany so much and I still miss her," she says. "So anytime that she has, you know, a moment where people think about her is also nice."