Easter is just one week away. Enough time to stockpile the Mini Eggs*, fill up the bread tin with Hot Cross Buns and countdown to the glorious four day bank holiday weekend.
What joy: four whole days off work with no faffy commitments like at Christmas time. We'll be heading back to the motherland (Wales) carrying our own body weight in Easter Eggs. Several magazines and newspapers have taste tested Easter Eggs (tell me how you get that gig, please) with reviewers salivating over offerings from Betty's, Hotel Chocolat and Prestat. I'm not in the least bit fussy. As long as it is chocolate, in the vague shape of an egg and contains a packet or two of smaller sweet treats I'm as happy as the journalist who did get the plum job of spending an afternoon sampling all the eggs in the name of 'research'.


Meanwhile, if you do have a spare hour this coming weekend (and there are 96 hours to choose from), try these Hot Cross Biscuits. Sweet chewy cookies with a hint of spice and packed full of juicy fruit, these make a fun alternative to the traditional Hot Cross Bun.
*In event of some national supply crisis. You never know.
Hot Cross Cookies
125g melted butter
75g light brown soft sugar
50g granulated sugar
1 large egg
225g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g sultanas
50g raisins
50g mixed peel
50g icing sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper
2. Beat the butter and sugars together lectric mixerwith an efor a few minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined
3. Fold in the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda until a dough forms, stir in the dried fruit and mixed peel
4. Using a tablespoon drop rounded balls of dough onto the baking sheets, ensuring each cookie is well spaced as apart. There is no need to flatten the dough
5. Bake for fifteen minutes until golden
6. To make the crosses sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add just enough water to form a thick paste. Pipe crosses over the cooled cookies and allow to set
Baker's notes...
- The cookies will still be soft when removed from the oven but will harden on cooling
- The melted butter adds a chewiness to the cookie and the brown sugar a fudgey flavour
- Best enjoyed with a large glass of milk. An Easter egg is optional
I'm entering this into the Easter Bake and Make Competition hosted by The Pink Whisk and Two Little Fleas

If you get the Easter egg testing job and need an assistant let me know! I'm very thorough with chocolate tasting. That's the biggest job requirement right?!
ReplyDeleteHaha- I'm almost certain that's top attribute in the job specification!
DeleteI think i'd prefer one of these to the buns!
ReplyDeleteReally? Awww, thank you
DeleteThis is a nice idea - I like the sound of these ...as well as... not instead of hot cross buns.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - it's all about enjoying LOTS of delicious treats this Easter!
DeleteWhat a cute idea! Would love these for breakfast :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Johlene!
DeleteThese are so cute. So I can have a hot cross bun for breakfast and one of these for elevenses...sounds perfect!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! 'Tis Easter, the weekend of overindulgence no?
DeleteI would definitely take a few of these over a hot cross bun. You can't dip a hot cross bun in your tea! Well, I imagine you could if you really want, but it would be a bit weird.
ReplyDeleteI so want to try dipping my next bun in a cuppa!
DeleteI have been baking these cookies yesterday evening. The taste is excellent. And what a great way to use various leftovers from the Christmas baking in form of spice and dried fruit :-)
ReplyDeleteKirsten
Fantastic! That's great feedback Kirsten, thank you very much!
DeleteAnd I used your great tasting recipe in connection with my Easter Calendar 2014 http://kitchenofkiki.blogspot.dk/2014/04/hot-cross-cookie-easter-calendar-2014.html
Deleteand the cookies disappeared fasted during my Easter holiday
Hello there,
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Kind regards
-Ricky
These look like my kind of cookie, the pictures are just so beautiful too! Also, your crosses are perf :)
ReplyDeleteHow creative! It is interesting, since Easter is fast approaching I have been seeing a lot of hot cross bun variations around the internets but hot cross bun cookies is not something I have yet seen! These look extra munchable but cookies always are anyway :)
ReplyDelete