Hot cross muffins
Hot cross muffins are a great, easy Easter treat. Full of dried fruit spices they’ve got the same great flavour as hot cross buns but without the fuss of kneading and proving dough.
Hot cross muffins are a delicious alternative to hot cross buns. They are full of dried fruit and have the same great spiced flavour, but they’re without having to knead and prove the dough, they’re much quicker and easier to make.
As much as I love hot cross buns, and wouldn’t have an Easter without them, they do take a while to make from scratch. So these hot cross muffins are an easy alternative you can rustle up in no time. Remove the Easter crosses and you could just enjoy these as a deliciously spiced, fruity muffin at any time of year.
How can kids help to make hot cross muffins?
Muffins are generally really easy recipes which makes them perfect for kids. As with most bakes, your kids can help to measure out all the ingredients and mix them all together. There are a few eggs in this recipe so there’s a few chances to practice their egg cracking which is an important skill for any young baker to master.
My kids also enjoy filling up the the muffin cases with the muffin batter. We use an ice-cream scoop which makes this job really easy and a lot less messy.
Finally, with these muffins, your kids can practice their piping skills by adding the very simple crosses. As you just need to do straight lines, this is an easier place to practice than piping swirls on cupcakes for example.
How long do they keep?
These muffins will keep for a few days in an air tight container at room temperature. If you want to keep them for longer you can freeze them for a few months. Simply wrap them individually in cling film or glad wrap before you’ve iced the crosses on then pop them in a freezer bag.
When you want to enjoy them, defrost them fully overnight at room temperature then pipe on the crosses. You could also warm them in the oven again for 10 minutes or so at 180C before you serve them.
What can I use if I don’t have self raising flour?
If you don’t have any self raising flour, you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
What fruit should I add?
We had a jar of mixed dried fruit in our cupboard so just used that. They would work with a mixture of any dried fruit though – raisins, sultanas / golden raisins, currents, chopped apricots. Use whatever you and your kids like or have in the house.
Other easy Easter bakes
If you liked these hot cross muffins check out some of our other easy Easter bakes for kids.
Hot cross buns
Chocolate hot cross buns
Easer bunny cookies
Mini egg cookies
Easter fudge
Easter rocky road
Chocolate nests
Easter bunny cupcakes
Mini Egg cheesecake
Easter brownies
Mini Egg cupcakes
Easter chick cupcakes
Easter cookie bar
Mini Egg loaf cake
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these hot cross muffins:
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Wooden spoons
Muffin tin
Cupcake cases
Wire rack
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Ingredients
100g (1/4 cup) butter/baking margarine
150g (2/3 cup) soft brown sugar
250g (2 cups) self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
250ml (1 cup) milk
175g (1 cup, rounded) mixed dried fruit
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
For the decoration
2 tablespoons icing sugar
Boiling water
How to make hot cross muffins
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar
Get your kids to measure the butter and sugar out. The butter needs to be soft enough to mix so if it’s still hard from the fridge, cut it into a few pieces then pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so to soften it (not long enough to melt it).
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. Using the k-paddle of your mixer, a hand held mix or even wooden spoons, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the flour and baking powder
Measure out the flour and baking powder. Make sure if your kids are measuring the baking powder that they use their finger to level the teaspoon so that they add just the right amount.
Add the flour and baking powder to your mixing bowl and mix them in. The mixture will be quite dry and stiff at this point.
Add the eggs and milk
Get your kids to crack the eggs into a small bowl before giving them a quick whisk and adding them to your mixing bowl. We never add them straight in just in case any shell goes in. If it does, simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell – it will stick to that better than it will your finger.
Measure the milk and add it to your bowl. If you have digital scales, using the ml setting is the easiest and most accurate way of doing this.
Mix the eggs and milk in until you have a nice smooth (and runny) batter.
Add the mixed fruit and spices
Finally, get your kids to measure out the spices and dried fruit then add them to your mixing bowl. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir it all in until the fruit is well mixed through.
Bake the hot cross muffins
Divide the muffin mixture among your muffin cases. We find a soup spoon or ice cream scoop adds quite a good amount so is an easy and less messy way of doing it. I normally let my kids add some batter to each case, then use any remaining batter to even them all out, so they are all roughly the same size.
Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes. They’re ready when they’ve turned a nice golden brown colour and a skewer, cocktail stick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven, and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes before popping them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the hot cross muffins
Mix the icing sugar with a little boiling water so that it is smooth but not too runny. Add it to a small piping bag, or simply pop it into a freezer bag and snip a small hole in the corner.
Get your kids to pipe the crosses on each of the muffins. We just arranged the muffins close together then piped long lines across the muffins in one direction, and then did the same in the other direction.
Leave the icing to set then serve and enjoy.
Hot cross muffins
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Wooden spoons
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake cases
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 100 g (¼ cup) butter/baking margarine
- 150 g (⅔ cup) soft brown sugar
- 250 g (2 cups) self raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 175 g (1 cup, rounded) mixed dried fruit
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
For the decoration
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- Boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar
- Measure the butter and sugar out and add it to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer. Using the k-paddle of your mixer, a hand held mix or even wooden spoons, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the flour and baking powder
- Measure out the flour and baking powder. Make sure you use your finger to level the teaspoon so that you add just the right amount.Add them to your mixing bowl and mix them in.
Add the eggs and milk
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl before giving them a quick whisk and adding them to your mixing bowl. Measure the milk and add it to your bowl. If you have digital scales, using the ml setting is the easiest and most accurate way of doing this.Mix the eggs and milk in until you have a nice smooth (and runny) batter.
Add the mixed fruit and spices
- Finally, measure out the spices and dried fruit then add them to your mixing bowl. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir it all in until the fruit is well mixed through.
Bake the hot cross muffins
- Divide the muffin mixture among your muffin cases.
- Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes. They're ready when they've turned a nice golden brown colour and a skewer, cocktail stick or sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven, and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes before popping them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate the hot cross muffins
- Mix the icing sugar with a little boiling water so that it is smooth but not too runny. Add it to a small piping bag, or simply pop it into a freezer bag and snip a small hole in the corner.
- Pipe the crosses on each of the muffins. We just arranged the muffins close together then piped long lines across the muffins in one direction, and then did the same in the other direction.
- Leave the icing to set then serve and enjoy.
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