‘Hot Cross Bun’ Cookies

Having posted about Hot Cross Buns last year, I thought I’d spice things up with a new idea. The warm flavours of hot cross buns easily translate to other sweet treats and I especially love making cookies: so thats how we got to Hot Cross Bun Cookies this year!

Soft and delicately spiced, pepped up with currants and finished off with a cinnamon flavoured icing cross, these cookies shout out Easter. I brushed the tops with nappage (thinned, hot apricot jam) to give the authentic shiny, sticky top, but by all means leave out this step if you wish. Hot Cross Bun Cookies cookies are certainly hard to resist and make the perfect unusual treat for the Easter period and take no time to make – always an added bonus!

Hot Cross Bun Cookies (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

makes about 12

• 65g dairy-free spread
• 1/3 rd cup of caster sugar
• 1/4 cup of currants
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsps oat milk
• 1 tbsp apricot jam mixed with 1 tsp water
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4
– Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment
– Cream together the sugar and spread until light and fluffy
– Stir in the oat milk
– Sift in the flour and spices and bring together to form a soft dough
– Stir in the currants
– Form walnut sized balls and place on the cookie sheets
– Bake for 15 minutes until starting to brown.
– Cool on a wire rack
– Heat the jam and water mix and bring to the boil.
– Paint over the warm cookies to give a shiny, sticky appearance
– Make the water icing by combining the icing sugar and cinnamon and enough water to make a thick icing
– Pipe crosses onto the cooled cookies and leave to set