Hot Cross Scones for Easter Recipe

Hot Cross Scones; delicious little Easter scones full of sweet spice, fruits and orange zest that give you all the flavour of the Easter season in less than half the time and effort of regular hot cross buns!  Recipe courtesy of Kelly Cletheroe of Maverick Baking.

 

 

Hot cross buns are probably the first thing we Brits think of when we think about Easter baked goods. Fortunately for us, there is a whole universe of chocolate goodies to enjoy at this time of year as well nowadays, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still enjoy a traditional fruity bake now and again!

 

The buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, just a few days before Easter Sunday, with the cross on top used to commemorate Jesus and his crucifixion. Sweet breads full of fruit and spice are probably one of the most yummy ways to celebrate the season, and this recipe can help you make something that will do the job perfectly.

 

As delicious as they are, hot cross buns are a time-consuming bake. Tough kneading and leaving the dough to prove can be a bit of an effort when you just fancy a fine treat, so why not try out these Hot Cross Scones instead?

 

These scones have all the wonderful flavour of classic traditional hot cross buns but take less than half the time and effort to bake. In just 30 minutes, you can have the scones on the table, ready to feed your peckish friends and family over the Easter period!

 

 

Softly spiced, buttery scones full of sweet dried fruits and zesty orange flavour, these scones are an absolute delight to eat, and can be just as fun to make. The recipe is really simple and uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

 

Using these fun and affordable table and party decorations from Partyrama will make sure that your Easter table is complete. Colourful bunnies, chicks and eggs are a great way to decorate to celebrate the festivities, even if you decide just to eat those big chocolate eggs rather than bake anything!

 

See the easy recipe below to make these scrumptious Easter Hot Cross Scones for you and your loved ones, a bake that is sure to please young and old alike.

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 250g self-raising flour
• 40g caster or soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 100g dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas, dates or candied peel all work well!)
• Zest of ½ an orange
• 30g cold butter
• 175g-200ml cold milk (anything except skimmed is fine!)
• 200g icing sugar (for the cross)

 

Instructions

 

1. Preheat your oven – 180 degrees for conventional ovens or 160 degrees for fan ovens – and line a baking tray or two with some greaseproof paper.

 

2. In a large bowl, measure out your flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and dried fruit.

 

3. Grate the orange zest into the bowl and mix all these dry ingredients together.

 

 

4. Add the cold butter into the bowl in little 1-2cm cubes.

 

 

5. Rub the butter and flour together between your fingers until the butter has combined into the flour and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. This should take no more than 5 minutes.

 

6. Stir the milk into the bowl, you may or may not need the full amount, just enough to form a smooth dough that is slightly sticky to the touch.

 

 

7. Take care not to knead or mix the dough up too much at this stage, doing so can produce tough or flat scones.

 

8. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to pat it out into a disc that is around 2-3 inches thick.

 

 

9. Use a cutter or the rim of a glass (whichever size you like!) to cut out 8-12 scones. You may need to roll the dough back up and flatten it out again a couple of times to do this!

 

10. Once cut, place the scones onto the lined tray.

 

 

11. If you like you can brush a little milk or some beaten egg over the top of the scones to help achieve a nice colour.

 

12. Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until they have risen noticeably and are lightly golden.

 

13. Allow the scones to cool completely either on the tray or a wire rack.

 

14. Once the scones have cooled, mix the icing sugar with just enough water to form a thick icing. Feel free to add more water or sugar to attain the desired consistency.

 

15. Use a piping bag with a small round nozzle, or a sandwich bag with one corner cut open with scissors to pipe the thick icing into a cross shape on top of the scones.

 

 

16. Eat these as they are, or cut open and slathered with butter, cheese, cream or jam!

 

 

17. Enjoy!

 

 

If you you enjoyed this recipe, let us know on our Facebook and Twitter, and visit Partyrama to buy all your Easter party supplies!