The best part of Easter, aside from the 4 day long weekend is of course Hot Cross Buns. Chocolate is fantastic of course but it is available all year round, but the appearance of the Hot Cross Bun (that seem to appear earlier and earlier every year much like Christmas decorations in October), signify an impending 4 day long weekend!
I know people are divided with Hot Cross buns, some like no peel, some like a lot of fruit, some like a little spice, some a lot. And then there are those that don’t like fruit at all and go for the Choc Chip Buns. I wanted to do something slightly different this year though so I went to my cupboard and what jumped out at me were the wonderful Cinnamon chips that Barbara sent me. I decided to make Cinnamon Chip Chocolate Hot Cross Buns.
I always feel like the cross should be sweet, like icing I suppose and am always a little disappointed when eating the cross. I decided to make the crosses out of white chocolate and I hope that doesn’t violate some traditional Easter tradition but hey as the saying goes Jesus Loves You no matter what you do, right? I think that includes fiddling around with a Hot Cross Bun recipe which is a lesser sin than others. The smell of these baking is truly incredible and as for the taste, imagine a Norwegian cinnamon bun crossed with a Hot Cross Bun. Try to resist them, if you can. I wasn’t able to and ate my record in no time.
On another non-Easter note, big thanks go to the lovely Darcie from Zing PR and the very nice people from Lap-rap who gave me my very own Lap-rap which I heart very, very much. See their website for other cool designs or design your own as I did.
Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Makes 16
For the buns
- 2 tablespoons instant dried yeast
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 cups lukewarm milk
- 4.5 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 50g butter melted
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2.5 cups of Hershey’s Cinnamon chips (or 2.5 cups of white chocolate chips melted with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and chopped up)
For glaze:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon gelatine or 1/2 gelatine leaf soaked in cold water
For crosses:
- 75grams/2.6 ozs white chocolate
1. Mix yeast, sugar and warm milk in a bowl and stir to remove any lumps. Set aside for 15 minutes until it becomes frothy.
2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, sift flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and mix in the yeast mixture, butter, egg, cinnamon and one third of the chocolate chips.
3. Knead dough for 5 minutes until elastic and place in a greased bowl covered with cling wrap in a warm area (or sit your bowl in a larger bowl of warm water). Leave for 1 hour to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
4. Using your fist, punch down the dough and add the remaining cinnamon chocolate chips. Knead lightly and divide into 16 balls. Place close together on a lined or greased baking tray. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until done. While it is baking, get the glaze ready. For the glaze, simply mix all three ingredients together shortly before the time is up on the buns.
6. When buns are ready, brush with glaze. I like to do this quite generously and glaze the sides too but this does make them quite sticky to handle.
7. Melt chocolate in a microwave proof bowl and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pipe lines across buns to make crosses. When chocolate has set, serve slathered with butter.
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58 Comments | Add your own
Your buns look amazing! ; )
BTW-we have the exact same calculator. LOL!
What is a lap-rap?
And those buns look tasty! I totally agree with the choice of white chocolate.
These look just lovely! I’m going through a hot cross bun phase too – more so devouring them than baking them. I was contemplating baking a batch on Good Friday and I must say, your post is very inspiring
OMG, these buns look so scrumptious! A nice take on that recipe!
Cheers,
Rosa
Yuuuum…I think I’m going to have to try making these this weekend! The white choc crosses are a great idea!
I definitely like the thought of the white chocolate crosses and the addition of cinnamon choc chips – yum! Hot cross buns are one of my favourite foods at Easter too!
Great use for the cinnamon chips! They look divine!
I agree: OH MY GAWD! I’ve never really liked HCB’s, but you have converted me! Those are the best looking buns I’ve seen…must… resist…Bakers Delight…will regret it…oh what the hell it’s Easter!
ohhhhhh yummmo!!!
I agree, the crosses should be sweet too!
They look so delicious!
…. and I want a lap-rap! *off to look at the link now*
x
These are delightful!! I will need to make these for my kids this week ~ they will be over the moon for them.
I do love a fruity HCB, but as I’m the only one in the family who’ll eat them I always end up eating far too many. Now DH (and the boys) would LOVE your version so, hurrah, we can start a new tradition in our house! Thank you!
Oo, that’s cool that you designed your own laptop cover. I like the idea of extra cinnamon hits in your hot cross buns, but I’d like to have sultanas as well I think.
a super sweet hot cross bun! and with cinnamon (which is currently holding the position of “my favourite spice” with a wide berth)! certainly sounds like a wonderful warm easter treat.
yarm!
Oh gosh these look like something out of my dreams..definitely on my list to bake this long weekend!
*drools* i love hot cross buns. these look fantastic! i like your spin on the recipe
i wouldn’t be able to resist either!
These buns look grogeous Lorraine! The cinnamon chips are a great addition, and hey, a white chocolate cross beats flour and water any day in my books.
oh how i love those cinnamon chips, they are the base of our traditional cinnamon chip scones every Christmas morning. i even packed a bag to take with us to Germany this past Christmas.
have a happy easter.
not HCBs as we know it but looks delicious
unlike you I love the bland pastry crosses under the sticky glaze but I am sure white chocolate would taste great esp with the cinnamon
those buns look sinful…absolutely delish!
Ooooh, these look so good! I’m not a fan of fruit HCBs but I could give these a go! They look so moist!
*drool*
These would have to be the best looking HCBs out there!
My preference is always towards the spicy, chocolaty side. Don’t mind a bit of peel but not too much.
OH. I could go for one of those right now. Cinnamon chips sound fantastic…
This is the first time I have posted a comment on your blog, although I check it out daily.
Have just made HCB using this recipe , though using sultanas instead of choc chips, and they turned out the absolute best in texture and taste. Thanks Lorraine!!
I do love the idea of cinnamon chips and white chocolate! And yours look so glossy and delicious too, mmm…
BTW, your lap-rap looks so cheery and christmasy! hehe…
Ooh – these look delicious! I was just commenting on how hot cross buns could be made to be more exciting as they’re essentially sweet sultana buns. This is what we need at our local bakeries – say, can you have a word to them all and tell them to innovate more?
AAAH Lorraine, I agree with you that I love a sweeter version of the Hot cross buns!! You see these recipes pop up on a lot of foodblogs, but I prefer yours!! You make a twist on them!
PS. Thanks !! Have a Happy Easter!!
Yummy. They’re so golden and glistening! I’m usually quite specific when it comes to what I want in a hot cross bun. Is that reasonable, or is it considered fussy, I wonder!
BethieofVA | April 9, 2009 at 6:48 am |
Your buns look amazing! ; )
lol nice nice
They sure look sooo tasttyyy and cinnamon chips addage is genius!
The smell of these cooking must be amazing! I also used to like the mango ones – which tasted like soft gooey morsels of aprioct through the hot cross buns but unfortunately I haven’t seen them for years and years. The buns here in the UK are nothing like the ones from back home in Oz they’re flat as a tack
You are so good with the yeasty goods. I am hopeless and will never experience the joy of my own hot cross buns, *sob*!
I’m a hot cross bun fan, but I never got the hang of water-sugar icing crosses and raisins. But white chocolate and cinnamon chips? Praise the Lord: I’m sold on it!
They look so delicious! I like the taste of hot cross buns, but the problem for me is the raisins. I don’t like shriveled fruit even if I liked it prior to it being dehydrated. (so it’s great you didn’t include them ;D )
Over here in London, the buns are available around here daily…So it’s no longer special to me
Oh man, hot cross buns! Im in the Philippines at the moment and they’re not widely available. Although ridiculously good cinnamon scrolls are – do you think they cross the sacrilegious line too?! Love the use of cinnamon and chocolate, a mixture too often overlooked in my mind…
Hi Bethie-Haha thanks! Although they aren’t as nice as George’s Boobies!
Oh really? I love that calculator- remnants from my previous life as a media buyer
Hi Blond Duck -It’s a cover for a laptop that you can customise. Thankyou!
Hi Cora-hehe that’s cool, me too. For every batch I made I ate 8 of them
Wonderful! Have fun baking them, they always smell so good while baking!
Hi Rosa-Thankyou so much!
Hi Steph-Cool! I’d love to know what you think of them!
Hi Anita-I know, I wish they were available all year round although perhaps that would make them less special then
Hi Barbara-Thanks so much for them!
Hi Tiffany-Thanks so much! Haha cool, a HCB convert!
Yes calories be damned, slather it with butter!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Yup, I say redo the cross!
Thanks so much, yours look great too! An Iron Chef Shellie one would be great 
Hi Brenda-Thankyou!
Fantastic, I hope they enjoy them!
Hi Angela-It’s funny how people either love or hate the fruit. Fantastic and you’re more than welcome!
Hi Arwen-Yeah it was fun!
Sure, you could add them if you wanted and I bet it would still taste good.
Hi shez-Yep cinnamon is one of my favourites with baking especially when the weather turns cold. Thanks so much!
Hi pearlypop-Thankyou!
Hi Rachel-Cool! Please let me know what you think of them!
Hi Betty-Me too
I found it so hard to resist these, it was embarrassing!
Hi Cakelaw-Thankyou so much! Haha yes I always, no matter how many times I eat them, think that they’re sweet and are always disappointed!
Hi leslie-Oh cool! Lucky you! I’m hanging onto my last bags of these as they’re hard to get here. I totally understand packing them! Happy easter to you too!
Hi Johanna-hehe choc chips ones are quite common nowadays!
Hi Alexandra-Thanks so much!
Hi Rilsta-Yup if you aren’t a fan of the fruit then this is a definite alternative
They were indeed!
Hi Esz-Aww shucks thankyou!
Yes a bit of peel in moderation is good but too much is overpowering!
Hi justJENN-Thanks a lot!
Hi Cathy-Oh Yaaaay very cool! I’m so glad that you liked it and thanks too for being a loyal reader!
Hi Jen-Thanks! I love the glaze I admit, a bit too much!
hehe come to think of it, it does!
Hi Forager-Thankyou! Sure although I don’t know if they’ll listen!
Hi Sophie-Very cool! Aww thanks, you are too kind! Have a very Happy Easter!
Hi Y -I love the sweetness so I love the glaze. I don’t know, it depends on how specific you are!
Hi FFichiban-Haha well they do! Both sets
Thankyou!
Hi Chris-The smell really was a force to be reckoned with. I wanted to climb into the oven and snatch one while cooking. Oh wow, I’ve never seen mango ones before but they sound great!
Aww no, flat ones would look terribly deflated 
Hi belle -Honestly it’s just after I got the KA and the dough hook. Otherwise I just don’t have the arm muscles! Maybe William can help?
Hi Midge-Wonderful! I think these are for all of those fruit haters, even though I’m a fruit lover most ppl will eat a chocolate chip one!
Hi ArtemisIII-Thankyou! Ah yes some of my friends are just like you with raisins so this was for them
Oh lucky you though!
Hi Yasmin-Oh no you poor thing! I love cinnamon and white chocolate but am not so fond of cinnamon and dark chocolate!
I’m new to your site, and this is the first recipe I am encountering–I can’t wait to try it over the holiday weekend. They should go down nicely with a hot cupa Joe.
Love the site btw–thanks.
PS–I’m from NYC, and I dont’ blv I’ve ever had a hot cross bun before–it will be a treat for all.
Nice use of chocolate. Of course chocolate can go with everything.
As usual your pictures make me very jealous.
are you my hot cross bun soul mate?!
these look rad.
i’ve always thought the cross should be made out of icing too because it looks like icing, which is misleading and kind of cruel.
i also like the sprouted grain hot cross buns. they taste a bit wholesome.
I’m one of those who dislike hot cross buns because of their citrusy fruity flavor. so this one rocks for me! yum!
Oooooh these look lovely. I love hot cross buns!
And ahhh, cinnamon chips. How I long for those, haha.
Oooh, those look amazing. The only Hot Cross Buns I’ve had are so dry and blah. Gooey cinnamon fixes that right up!
Your hot cross buns are SO beautiful!! I think your white chocolate glaze is an absolutely perfect idea, too…
Cinnamon chips??… Got to love Hershey. I really like the ‘Scandinavian’ twist on the humble HCB. Nice work! I will be making some HCBs myself this weekend and wish these chips were as readily available in Australia. I am very partial to the cinnamon bun!
These sound really great. I am going to make up some tomorrow using the family recipe. My brother bought some hot cross buns at the supermarket instead of asking me and it was a huge disappointment for him.
You have a very Happy Easter if I don’t catch up with you again.
Hot cross buns with cinnamon chips area great idea! They look amazing!
Hi Lorraine. I made these yesterday and they are fantastic. I LOVE cinnamon so they were perfect for me and surprisingly easy to make. There isnt much butter and sugar in them (but lots of chocolate!) so they seems to be reasonably healthy (she says after slathering them with butter!)
Thanks for the recipe and thanks for inspiring me to bake my very first HCB. In fact, I just realised that I have never made anything bread like – Woo Hoo!!
Nice buns! Hehe. I’m so immature.
I’ve actually never had hot cross buns but the idea of cinnamon chip anything sounds really great! Save me some
Hi Liz-Welcome!
Very cool, I’d love to know what you think of it. Yep coffee or tea is perfect for these-and lots of
butter! Wonderful, your first hot cross bun!
Hi Jeff-Hehe that is very true
Aww sorry!
Hi reddoorread-Haha perhaps I am! Yes I know, so so cruel. I get all excited and then disappointed. I’ve yet to try those but
I hear great things about them!
Hi Sophia-Ah cool! Yes people are very divided when it comes to their HCB!
Hi Su-yin-Thankyou! Yes I am scared of running out of my stash
Hi anna-Thanks so much!
Yes a dry and blah one is a travesty. Cinnamon chips definitely save the day 
Hi Astra Libris-Thankyou so much, you are too kind!
Hi Julia-Yup I love cinnamon buns so it was such a natural choice
I know, if only they’d bring htese out!
Hi Libby-Oh great! Ah yes they’re never as good as home made as they’ve probably been sitting on the shelf for a while
Happy Easter to you too! 
Hi Kevin-Thankyou so much!
Hi Vita-YAY So glad that you liked them! Yes they are quite straightforward I find
Haha yes plenty of nice butter is de rigeur. OH wonderful, your first bread experience. I bet it won’t be your last!
Hi maris-Haha not at all!
Those cinnamon chips are my undoing. Sure!
mmm…best use for those cinnamon chips that i’ve seen in a long time. aside from just popping them like candy, of course.
These buns not only look sumptuous but are absolutely delicious among the simplest sweet things I’ve put together in some time. I must confess that I did substitute 1/2 cup of the milk for lowfat buttermilk, not wanting it to spoil in the fridge but the result was temder and Yum Yummy!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Kind regards,
Robin
Great idea.. Love your take on these hot cross buns.
Hi grace-Yep eating these straight is a big temptation indeed!
Hi Robin-Oh wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know and I’m so glad that you liked them and found them easy
You’re more than welcome!
Hi Jude-Why thankyou!
Wow, you definitely kicked up this recipe! NICE!
Hi howtoeatacupcake-Thanks so much!
yummie yummie yummie yummie,,,,Saving this for easter
.
Tried it! The taste was okay but didnt get the juicyness,anybody got a tip for that? Wont give up though
.
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[...] :S) but after drooling over the tantalizing Hot Cross Bun recipes at Grab Your Fork (classic HCB), NQN (cinnamon HCB), Leave room for Dessert (choc chip HCB), LemonPi (classic HCB) and many other great [...]
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