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    Home » Recipes » Easter

    Published: Mar 8, 2016 · Modified: Apr 6, 2023 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 7 Comments

    Hot Cross Cookies

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Hot Cross Cookies

    Soft, chewy, spicy, fruit & nut studded Hot Cross Cookies! All the flavours of a hot cross bun in quick and easy to make cookie form!

    a stack of hot cross cookies

    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!

    Theses hot cross buns in cookie form are spiced to perfection, soft, flecked with chewy raisins and crunchy walnuts, and topped with delicious vanilla flavoured white crosses.

    A great sweet treat that doesn't involve chocolate and really easy to make (no mixer needed).

    More Vegan Easter Recipes

    • a sliced vegan ham surrounded by orange wedges and herbs
      Vegan Ham
    • a sliced hot cross bun
      Easy No Knead Hot Cross Buns
    • vegan creme eggs
      Vegan Creme Eggs
    • a nest of caramel eggs
      Vegan Caramel Eggs

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe

    a stack of hot cross cookies

    Hot Cross Cookies

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Soft, chewy, spicy, fruit & nut studded Hot Cross Cookies! All the flavours of a hot cross bun in quick and easy to make cookie form!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 10 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME: 17 minutes minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 27 minutes minutes
    Servings: 13 cookies

    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
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    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.

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1cookieCalories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 26gFat: 7gSodium: 147mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.7mg
    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below!

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    2.1K shares

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mishky says

      April 16, 2023 at 12:34 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    2. Joanie Lewis says

      December 17, 2022 at 5:09 am

      5 stars
      These are the most delicious cookies. The texture and taste are perfect. Thank you, Mel.

      Reply
    3. CeeCee says

      August 19, 2020 at 6:26 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 19, 2020 at 8:16 am

        So pleased you enjoyed them! I think I need to make some soon again too. I haven't made them for years!

        Reply
    4. Debbie Gaudet says

      March 28, 2020 at 3:41 am

      5 stars
      Mel, these are so easy and delicious!

      Reply
    5. Polly says

      May 07, 2017 at 2:19 am

      5 stars
      yummy thank you.

      Reply
      • Pongodhall says

        May 08, 2017 at 7:06 am

        4 stars
        Thanks for help there! Quite ok with Kat flour funnily enough. And I do love hot cross buns you know.

        Reply

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    Melanie McDonald

    I'm Melanie McDonald (but you can call me Mel), best-selling cookbook author and creator of A Virtual Vegan. I share well-tested, flavour-packed vegan recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook amazing vegan food from scratch.

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