Soft, chewy, spicy, fruit & nut studded Hot Cross Cookies! All the flavors of a hot cross bun in quick, easy-to-make cookie form!
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I'm not a religious person but I do enjoy Easter. Probably because of the copious amounts of chocolate involved! Vegan Creme Egg anyone?
It doesn't have to be all about chocolate though. There are homemade vegan hot cross buns, no Knead hot cross buns and now there are Hot Cross Cookies too!
These hot cross bun cookies are spiced to perfection, soft, flecked with chewy raisins and crunchy walnuts, and topped with delicious vanilla-flavored white crosses.
It's a sweet treat that doesn't involve chocolate, and is really easy to make (no mixer needed)!
Recipe
Hot Cross Cookies
Author:Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1¼ cups (145 grams) flour , (spelt, all purpose or wholewheat)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- ½ cup (75 grams) brown or coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ cup (75 grams) raisins
- ¼ cup (30 grams) chopped walnuts (optional but adds great texture)
- 5 tablespoons liquid oil (I used mild olive oil but coconut oil (melted) or any other mild tasting oil is fine)
- About ½ cup (120 mls) non-dairy milk
For the crosses
- approximately 1 tablespoon plant milk
- ¾ cup (95 grams) powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Put all the dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts, into a large bowl
- Add the oil and as much milk as you need to make a thick cookie dough (half a cup max). Make sure you can't see any dry bits of flour and that you scrape the bottom of the bowl well.
- Using an ice cream or cookie scoop, drop mixture onto the cookie sheet. Leave plenty of room round each one.
- Flatten the tops of each cookie with the back of a fork.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes. When ready they will be hardening up round the edges but slightly soft on the inside when you press with your finger. They will continue to firm up when you remove them from the oven.
- Leave to cool on the tray.
- When completely cool prepare the frosting.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to a bowl and gradually drip in the plant milk, stirring constantly to create a very thick paste. The amount you need will vary but it will be barely anything. Go very slowly and stir very well between each addition. If you accidentally add too much add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up again.
- Use a piping bag and a nozzle with a very small opening to pipe cross shapes across the top of each cookie. If you don't have a piping bag use a sandwich or freeezer bag. Simply snip a tiny piece off the corner and squeeze the frosting through it onto the cookie. The crosses will dry hard within a few minutes.
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Denise says
Very very nice. I mixed lemon juice and icing sugar for the crosses. I didn’t have walnuts so used pecan nuts instead
Melanie McDonald says
Oo I bet they were great with pecans! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Mishky says
Delicious cookies, exactly what I was looking for! And they look sooooo. cute! I always love your recipes, Thank you.
I made a few modifications- halved the sugar (for non-US tastebuds) and the oil (added fresh orange juice to make up rest of oil liquid- Australian ones can have dried citrus peel in them too). I didn’t flatten them left them as low mounded cookies to look like a little HCBs.
Joanie Lewis says
These are the most delicious cookies. The texture and taste are perfect. Thank you, Mel.
CeeCee says
Another success! I’ve made these twice since Sunday. Didn’t have any spelt flour to hand, so I used golden plain flour. Perfect with a cup of coffee when the snackies attack late-afternoon.
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed them! I think I need to make some soon again too. I haven't made them for years!
Debbie Gaudet says
Mel, these are so easy and delicious!
Polly says
yummy thank you.
Pongodhall says
Thanks for help there! Quite ok with Kat flour funnily enough. And I do love hot cross buns you know.