Hot Cross Cookies

Ingredients

• Cookie dough

  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 120g unsalted butter, softened
  • 120g caster sugar
  • 120g light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 100g sultanas
  • 50g dark chocolate, chopped
  • 50g white chocolate, chopped

• For the cross

  • 100g white chocolate, melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven

  1. Preheat to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a baking tray with parchment.

• Combine dry ingredients, chocolate and sultanas

  1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Stir the sultanas, dark chocolate, and white chocolate into the flour mixture, coating them lightly.

• Cream butter and sugars

  1. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, caster sugar, and light brown sugar until soft and fluffy.

• Add wet ingredients

  1. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest until fully combined.

• Combine

  1. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined into a dough.

• Shape

  1. Scoop portions of dough (about 2 tbsp each), quickly roll into a ball and place onto the tray, spacing them well apart.

• Bake

  1. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden at the edges but still soft in the centre. Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

• Pipe the crosses

  1. Melt the remaining white chocolate. Once cookies are completely cool, pipe a cross over each one.

Notes