While working away on a special request hot cross buns recipe, I got the idea of making something special on the side -- sort of inspired by the deliciousness and rave reviews of my raw carrot cake recipe :) . And so I ended up with these little raw "hot cross bun" cookies. They may not be quite a hot cross bun {or even look like much, most especially thanks to my superb cross pipping abilities ;) -- hey, it was very late at night... and very impromptu... I didn't think I'd be sharing these on the blog but they tasted so good I thought it would be silly of me not to... So be kind! :) }, but they're jam packed with all the right hot cross bun flavors, and they are seriously delicious!
If you're looking for a quick and simple, healthy, and allergy-friendly holiday treat, I say these cookies are it. Plus they'd be extra fun to make with little helpers ;)
You can vary the flavors slightly -- add in some citrus zest, or use other dried fruit {I cheated and added in some dried cherries in place of some of the raisins -- delicious!}. Vary the nuts as you like -- brazil nuts, almonds, or pecans would be great. Seeds would work splendidly too. If you're nut-free, use dried white mulberries in place of the walnuts. If you don't have coconut butter, pre-soak some cashews and blend them with a tiny bit of sweetener and some coconut oil and that would work for the cross part too {although the coconut butter "cross" is really yummy!}. Anyways, you get the idea -- it's a make it with what you've got in your pantry kind of a recipe {which is precisely what I did...} :)
Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies
A raw, gluten-free, vegan, allergy friendly holiday cookie based on classic hot cross buns.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 9 cookies {or more}
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 1 cup walnut pieces {or other nuts, or dried white mulberries for a nut-free version}
- 6 soft medjool dates
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ⅔ cup raisins {or other dried fruit -- pre-soak if these are very hard}
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/16 tsp allspice and nutmeg
- dash of salt
Cross:
- 3 tbsp coconut butter, warmed a little so it's soft
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/16 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Place all cookie ingredients in a food processor and process into a crumbly sticky mixture. Roll into little balls {I got 9, but the amount will vary depending on the cookie size you want}, place on a tray/plate lined with parchment paper and press down lightly to flatten. Place the tray in the freezer for about 15 minutes for the cookies to set.
- Prepare the cross mixture by placing all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender {I used my magic bullet, though an immersion blender would work great too}. Blend into a smooth mixture. Transfer into a pipping bag or a sturdy zip lock bag.
- Once cookies are chilled, remove tray from the freezer. Snip of the corner of your piping bag and pipe out the crosses over each cookie. Because the cookies are chilled the cross mixture will set pretty quickly. Store in the fridge or enjoy straight away!
DessertPlease says
Hey Audrey,
What are your thoughts/experiences on using a blender in place of a food processor? Would these turn out alright with the former?
Thanks!
Audrey says
A blender would be totally fine, just watch out not to blend it too much -- you don't want it to turn into a butter :) So blend in intervals and when it looks like the mixture is a fine sticky crumble then stop.
Enjoy these! :)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
You are so creative, Audrey! I'm going to be a party pooper and leave out the raisins. Perhaps I'll sub in raw cocoa nibs. ;-)
Shirley
Audrey says
Why, of course you would ;) Why not use some dried currants, cherries, or cranberries AND chocolate chips then? :)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
I'm not a big dried fruit fan, but cherries sound good! WITH the chocolate, of course. ;-)
Audrey says
Yes, that's what I was thinking too :)
Joanne (JoMakesStuff) says
So cute and I'm certain very tasty too! I'm going to have to give these a whirl at some point. I think instead of making a cross on them, I'd probably just smear the tops with the coconut mixture. You know, to make it look rustic and all. :-)
Audrey says
Yes, that was my thought too -- they'll be great just frosted. But since I was in a hot cross buns brainstorming mode I had to pipe the crosses. But then I had extra pipping mixture left over, which was definitely smeared all over things ;)
Nissrine @ Harmony a la Carte says
Love these Audrey, They look and sound great and they're adorable.
Audrey says
Thank you ♥
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
These are such cute little buns! I never knew hot cross buns were even an Easter thing until recently when I started seeing recipes popping up all over the web. And I like that you're using raisins in these raw cookies, because they seem to be like the forgotten dried fruit when it comes to raw desserts. Overshadowed by dates and figs and other sweet fruits. But I love raisins :)
Audrey says
Yes, raisins are totally underused in raw desserts {as are grapes... ;)}. They really make these taste like the buns in a strange way too.