‘Hot cross bun’ truffles

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There is nothing that shouts ‘It’s Easter!’ over here in the UK more than freshly baked hot cross buns. But if, like me, you’re ‘hot cross bun-making challenged’, it might be better to stick to making these hot cross bun spiced chocolate truffles instead!

Hot cross bun truffles

I didn’t know I was ‘hot cross bun-making challenged’ until I tried making some hot cross buns for the very first time last week.

If you don’t know what a hot cross bun is (seems inconceivable as they’re so ubiquitous over here, but I get that they’re a British thing!) it’s a spiced sticky bun with a cross piped across the top as a symbol of Easter. Bakeries and supermarkets sell truckloads of them and not surprisingly …. they’re really hard to beat when toasted and slathered with butter or jam.

They’re not a particularly complex thing – just a sort of cross between a bread roll and a cake, really – so I was rather surprised, and a bit upset, to make a total hash of my first attempt at making hot cross buns. It probably didn’t help that I was trying to be fancy by making an orange and chocolate spiced version. Obviously I shouldn’t have skipped the ‘baby steps’ that are probably necessary when you aren’t exactly the most experienced bread-baker in the world (ahem … maybe close to the least experienced?)

'Hot cross bun' truffles for Easter!

hot-cross-bun-truffles

I think my mistake might have been making the dough in my bread machine and allowing the chocolate to melt into it as it was kneaded rather than folding it in at the end. And/Or not letting my dough rise enough? Whatever my problem was (probably problems – plural), the result was … hello misshapen, lead-weighted buns! They did NOT rise enough and tasted more like a heavy cake than a light and airy bun. I should have given them another whirl but, quite honestly, after spending pretty much the whole of Sunday sweating over them in the kitchen, I just couldn’t face it.

And so were born these ‘hot cross bun’ truffles! My reasoning was that the other very popular Easter treat is chocolate, of course, and there’s something I have a whole lot more experience of. Predictably, these truffles turned out a lot better … and I even managed to successfully pipe on the crosses. Aren’t you impressed? 😉

hot cross bun truffles

The truffles are nothing more than a mixture of biscuit crumbs, melted chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, mixed spice (to get the authentic hot cross bun flavour), cashew nuts and dried fruit – I used raisins and chopped dried apricots. Simply mix everything together, roll into small truffles, then dip into more melted chocolate before piping on some white chocolate crosses.

Be prepared for very messy hands while rolling and dipping, but it’s worth it. The finished truffles taste quite a bit like chocolate fridge cake – or perhaps a fruit and nut fudge – and doesn’t everyone love both of those?  I’m pretty sure these would go down beautifully with coffee to finish off your Easter table this year!

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5 from 1 vote

'Hot cross bun' truffles

If you love hot cross buns but don't feel confident about making them, how about making some chocolate truffles with the lovely warm spiced flavour of hot cross buns in them instead? If you like chocolate fridge cake or a fruity, nutty fudge, you'll love these!
Prep: 15 minutes
Servings: 40

Ingredients 
 

for the truffle mixture

  • 3.5 ounces biscuits/cookies, I used Digestive biscuits
  • 1/3 cup unsalted cashew nuts, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit, I used raisins & chopped dried apricots
  • 7 ounces milk or dark chocolate, melted (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

for the coating

  • 7 ounces milk chocolate, melted
  • 2.5 ounces white chocolate, for the piped crosses

Instructions 

  • Crumble the biscuits/cookies into a large bowl, then add the nuts, spice, fruit, melted chocolate and condensed milk. Mix well and leave to firm up in the fridge for a short while (about 10 minutes).
  • Use a teaspoon or your hands to form the mixture into small balls. Place on a plate or baking sheet lined with baking paper.
  • Melt the chocolate for the coating, then dip the truffles into it. Put back on the baking sheet/plate and wait for the chocolate to set.
  • Melt the white chocolate, then pour or spoon it into a piping bag or into the corner of a clear plastic food bag. Snip the very end of the bag off and quickly pipe little crosses onto each truffle. Let set … then enjoy!

Notes

I melted my chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts. I only melted it until about ¾ of it was melted, then I stirred it until the rest was melted. This is a ‘cheat’s’ way to ‘temper’ your chocolate (this helps it not to get white streaks in it when set).
If the mixture is too sticky when you’re forming the truffles, simply pop them in the fridge for a few minutes. If it’s too set, pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds or so to soften it a bit.
Feel free to replace the cashews with another kind of nut such as peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 23mg, Potassium: 79mg, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 0.9mg
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About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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60 Comments

    1. Thank you so much, Natalie! I haven’t made them yet this year, but I really must! Just need some hot cross buns to be left over…

  1. TOTALLY digging this ‘mini Hot Cross Bun’ concept, haha! Amrita (my wife) is a HUGE fan of hot cross buns. Honestly she’s always getting them at the supermarket – and trust me, Easter in Australia = an ABUNDANCE of hot cross buns. Like, so many that it approaches infinity, heh.

    Once again, another awesome recipe! Wicked! There seems to be no end to your stream of creativity.

    P.S. I also see you are a member of Gourmet Ads like us. How AWESOME are they? One of the best ad networks for food bloggers out there. I hope they go far. 🙂

    1. You’re toooo kind, Levan!! These were definitely the result of a fail, but then isn’t that how some of history’s coolest inventions happened? 😉
      Honestly, I felt so jealous when I found out you guys live in Melbourne! Oooh, such a wonderful food extravaganza there!
      And yes, I totally agree that Gourmet ads are cool. They’re Australian, you know! They are actually my best network right now.

  2. Helen I love this idea. This Easter was the first time I ever tried to make hot cross buns, and boy did I fail miserably for the first 5 times!!!! So I can sympathise, and I love that you turned the recipe into truffles x

    1. You put me to shame, Mariana, with your 5 tries! Maybe I’ll give it another go next year 😉

  3. Aww these are so cute! I’m pretty sure I’d prefer them to actual hot cross buns…because CHOCOLATE.

    1. Absolutely agree! I was disappointed with my bun fail, but these were no second-rate alternative!

  4. I just love your writing style, Helen! And these truffles look way better to me than a bread roll, so don’t feel bad! Very creative and gorgeous to boot 😉

    1. Aw, thank you so much for the compliment on my writing, Allie! I often don’t feel very confident about it, so that means a lot … 🙂 Glad you like the truffles .. I was pretty pleased with them to say they were the result of a fail!

  5. What a fun twist on hot cross buns. Can you believe that I didn’t have any hot cross buns this year? I fill like I have missed out on Easter 🙁

    1. You know what, I only tasted a couple of my failed ones … I didn’t have any ‘proper’ ones at all. So snap! Better luck next year for the both of us, hey?

  6. What an adorable idea, Helen. And I bet they taste absolutely delicious!

  7. I haven’t ever tried making hot cross buns – but, since I adore chocolate way more than buns – I would much rather have me a truffle (or ten) of these chocolate-fridge-cake-or-fruit-and-nut-fudge tasting, dreamy chocolate truffles!

    1. ooh, couldn’t agree more, Shashi! I’m still a bit disappointed I didn’t get the buns right, but there’s always next year 😉

  8. Haha! I tried my hand at hot cross buns this year too! Unfortunately they didn’t really turn out as great as I had imagined they would either. Next year! LOL.
    But these truffles? Gosh, I am drooling….they look so perfect and sound so easy!

    1. Thanks, Sarah! I’m not happy your buns didn’t turn out, but glad I’m not the only one that couldn’t get it right! Better luck for us both next year, right? 😉