These are "Easter Special" tender aromatic Cookies with slight notes of beautiful spices, freshness of orange zest, dried fruits and nuts. Simply YUM!
It was Easter weekend and Hot Cross Buns were a sensation all over the internet. Because of the lockdown situation, I thought of bringing together a recipe that everyone at home can bake easily. Buns require yeast and not everyone could have access to it or a regular part of their pantry.
These Cookies can be made with go to regular ingredients, they are eggless and they have the hit of spices and fruits same as that of HOT CROSS BUNS.
The best thing about baking these was the aroma in the kitchen. It was DIVINE. And the worst part being, the Waiting. Waiting for the dough to get chilled and then the final bake.
But trust me, it was all worth it.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Cookies:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Soft Butter - 1/2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 4 tablespoons
Vanilla - 1 teaspoon
Powdered Spices - 1 teaspoon (Cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)
Dried Fruits - 2 tablespoons (raisins, currants, etc)
Chopped Nuts - 1 tablespoon (almonds, walnuts, etc)
Salt - a pinch
Orange Zest - 1 teaspoon
Icing:
Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup
Water - few drops
DIRECTION:
- Preheat the oven at 170*C for 8-10 minutes.
- Beat room temperature butter for 2-3 minutes in a big bowl using whisk.
- Add powdered sugar in parts and keep whisking until creamy and smooth.
- Add vanilla and mix again.
- Now add flour, salt and powdered spiced and fold using spatula. Add chopped dried fruits, nuts and orange zest. Incorporate well. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Bring the dough together, cling wrap it and refrigerate for minimum 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough is set, take it out, make small cookie dough balls, flatten them a little using palm and place them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave gaps between the dough balls because cookies will spread a little.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 170*C for 15-17 minutes.
- Once the cookies start turning golden and edges seem done, take them out and let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring it to cooling rack.
- Now let them cool down on the cooling rack completely before icing.
- In the meantime, prepare icing by placing powdered sugar in a bowl. Add water drop by drop and keep mixing for a thick consistency.
- Once the cookies have cooled down completely, transfer icing in a piping cone and make the "SIGNATURE HOT CROSS" on them. Let the icing dry out completely before serving and storing.
Note:
- Softening and creaming of the butter to make Cookies is a very essential part. It helps in whipping air in the mixture which leads to crumbly texture in the cookies, giving it perfect crispness.
- Butter should be at "Room Temperature" to able to be creamed properly. Cold butter won't be able to whip with sugar and bits and pieces of butter in the dough will destroy the cookies.
- DO NOT OVER-BAKE THE COOKIES.
- "FOLDING" of dry ingredients to the butter mixture and NOT whipping is key to get the perfect result. Folding helps in incorporating the dry ingredients and saves from OVER-MIXING (which leads to tough cookies).
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