Choc Cross Buns! Guilt-Free Ones!

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Easter is upon us and the naughty Easter Bunny is out there threatening to unravel all of our hard work!

It feels like Christmas was just last week. We’ve just got back into our healthy eating routines and we’re training hard again, and just like that Easter is around the corner. Hot cross buns are in our face at the supermarket checkouts and so is all of the chocolate. Celebrations with family and friends are about to happen again and/or holidays away. Nothing to complain about really. It’s just that we really want to stay on track with our health and fitness goals. And all of the festivities can seem like a big bundle of threats to our healthy routine.

Fear Not! Wendy has a guilt-free Hot Cross Bun Recipe for us….. with Chocolate too!

Make a batch of these bad boys for your Easter holidays and you won’t feel like you are missing out on the real thing. Also, please check out last years Easter Blog for a fruit loaf recipe and a Carmel slice recipe. Yum Yum! Some extra yummy treats for your holiday weekend.

Choc Cross Buns

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 cups almond meal

  • 3 tbsp coconut flour

  • 1.5 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp sea salt1

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 2 tbsp mixed spice

  • Zest of 1 small orange

  • 3 tbsp stevia or xylitol

  • 3 tbsp melted coconut oil

  • 2 tbsp honey

  • 3 eggs (2 for the mixture, 1 for glazing)

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/4 cup raisins

  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate, melted

METHOD

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

  • Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

  • Combine the almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, orange zest and sweetner in a medium bowl, stirring well to remove any lumps.

  • In another bowl whisk together the coconut oil, honey, 2 eggs and vanilla in a jug.

  • Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.

  • Add the raisins and stir to combine.

  • Roll 1/4 cup worth of mixture into a bun shape and add to baking tray. Repeat with rest of mixture.

  • Whisk remaining egg and using a pastry brush, brush each bun with a little egg to glaze.

  • Add to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.

  • Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before piping a cross on each bun with the melted dark chocolate.

  • Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl over a boiling sucepan.

  • Add the chocolate to a snaplock bag and then cut off a tiny corner, then put the pipe with the chocolate onto the bun.

Happy Holidays. Try to avoid that sneaky Easter Bunny!