• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Unconventional Baker
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Book
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Other Cookies

    Raw “Hot Cross Bun” Cookies

    Published: Apr 1, 2015 · Modified: May 14, 2019 by Audrey · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, AIP-Friendly}

    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!

    Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, AIP-Friendly}

    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 ;)

    Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, AIP-Friendly}

    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 {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, AIP-Friendly}

    Print

    Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies

    Print Recipe

    A raw, gluten-free, vegan, allergy friendly holiday cookie based on classic hot cross buns.

    • Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
    • 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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @unconventionalbaker on Instagram and hashtag it #unconventionalbaker

    Raw "Hot Cross Bun" Cookies {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, AIP-Friendly}

    Share on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on Twitter

    More Other Cookies

    • Fig & Orange Roll-Up Cookies
    • Chocolate Almond Biscotti
    • Cherry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
    • Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. DessertPlease says

      April 03, 2015 at 11:24 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 04, 2015 at 12:22 am

        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! :)

        Reply
    2. Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says

      April 02, 2015 at 9:21 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2015 at 9:48 pm

        Why, of course you would ;) Why not use some dried currants, cherries, or cranberries AND chocolate chips then? :)

        Reply
        • Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says

          April 02, 2015 at 10:51 pm

          I'm not a big dried fruit fan, but cherries sound good! WITH the chocolate, of course. ;-)

          Reply
          • Audrey says

            April 03, 2015 at 2:04 am

            Yes, that's what I was thinking too :)

            Reply
    3. Joanne (JoMakesStuff) says

      April 02, 2015 at 7:20 pm

      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. :-)

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2015 at 7:50 pm

        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 ;)

        Reply
    4. Nissrine @ Harmony a la Carte says

      April 02, 2015 at 1:58 am

      Love these Audrey, They look and sound great and they're adorable.

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 04, 2015 at 2:00 am

        Thank you ♥

        Reply
    5. Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says

      April 01, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      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 :)

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        April 02, 2015 at 12:22 am

        Yes, raisins are totally underused in raw desserts {as are grapes... ;)}. They really make these taste like the buns in a strange way too.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Popular

    • Anti-Inflammatory Lemon Ginger Turmeric Iced Tea
    • Simple Gluten-Free Vegan Shortbread Cookies
    • Coconut Mango Tapioca Pudding
    • Raw Tiramisu

    I'm Audrey—a baker, blogger, and author who loves to create and explore simple, wholesome, and allergy-friendly recipes. I hope you enjoy the site and find something yummy to make!

    More about me →

    Citrus Season

    • Blood Orange Tart
    • Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Ganache
    • Coconut Lime Cream Chocolates
    • Ginger Turmeric Lemon Cream Bars

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Baking Resources

    Subscribe

    • Sign Up! for recipe updates

    Questions?

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Unconventional Baker