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Hot Cross Muffins
Prep time:15 mins- Cook time:40 mins
Servings:9
If you try one sweet treat this Easter, make it these delicious Hot Cross Muffins.
This time of year isn’t complete without a classic Hot Cross Bun to enjoy warm with butter, and choosing to eat healthily shouldn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your holiday favourites. This is why we’ve developed a delicious gluten and dairy free take on the classic: introducing our very own Hot Cross Muffins.
This recipe serves nine, so it’s ideal for baking up a batch ready for family or friends to come over throughout Springtime. What’s better, each serving is under 240 calories, and contains 7.4g of protein so you know they’re doing as good for your body as they taste!
The high protein content of each muffin is down to the use of almond meal as the base ingredient. Almond meal is also significantly lower in carbohydrates than the usual wheat-flour-based counterparts and contains additional nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium and fibre.
Similarly, the full fat coconut milk used in both the muffins and the crosses provides a host of health benefits. It lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, providing a healthy dose of vitamin C, iron and medium-chain fatty acids which help to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism.
The iconically distinct flavour of hot cross buns are down to the delicious variety of spices, including cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and all spice which bring with them their own health benefits. Cinnamon provides antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and lipid-lowering properties, while ginger can aid digestion, manage weight loss, reduce risk of metabolic syndrome and lower cholesterol.
Trust us, you won’t want to go back to the carb-heavy original recipe after giving our tasty alternative a go. So, give it a go yourself this Easter, or find our other Easter inspired recipes on our Programme ready for a baking-filled Spring Sunday!
Ingredients
- 2 large free range eggs
- 250ml full fat canned coconut milk (for muffins)
- 1 orange, juice and zest
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 205g almond meal
- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 80g currants
- 10g coconut flour
- 20ml water
- 20ml full fat canned coconut milk (for crosses)
- 1 ziplock bag / piping bag
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to fan forced 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Line a muffin tray (or use a silicone muffin tray).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk (for muffins), orange juice and zest and vanilla extract.
- Add almond meal, baking powder, spices, and currants - mix until just combined. Spoon into a lined muffin tray and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut flour, water and remaining coconut milk. Spoon into a piping bag or small zip lock bag and pipe crosses onto the muffins.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Serve hot with butter or your dairy-free alternative.
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