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Delicious Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

As a little girl growing up the only thing I knew about hot cross buns was that it was a song your piano teacher makes you play over and over when you're first learning to play. Plus, it sounded a bit like Three Blind Mice - if Three Blind Mice had a really boring center. I was in college before I tasted my first hot cross bun, and by the time I made it out, I was hooked. This delicious bun is subtly sweet with just a little chew and perfect with pretty much any breakfast. Since I'm pretty much a nut for chocolate, I knew when it was time to make my own I wanted to nix all that fruit and give mine a chocolatey twist. I hope you and your family love these chocolate hot cross buns as much as I loved my first hot cross buns, because tasting them a first time is an experience you'll never forget. Just like that piano ditty. Enjoy!  
5 from 2 votes
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Author: Mary

Ingredients

Buns

  • ¼ cup rum
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 ¾ cups milk room temperature
  • 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk (save the white for the topping)
  • 6 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons instant yeast
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4 cups bread flour

Glaze

  • 1 large egg white reserved from above
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Topping

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons milk

Instructions

  • 1. Lightly grease a 10" square pan or 9" x 13" pan.
  • 2. In a large bowl, mix together all the bun ingredients. Knead the mixture, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft and elastic. 
  • 3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. 
  • 4. Divide the dough into 12 buns (or more if you want them smaller). Use your greased hands to round them into balls and arrange them in the prepared pan.
  • 5. Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they've puffed up and are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • 6. Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.
  • 7. Bake the buns for 20 - 23 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), and transfer them to a rack to cool.
  • 8. Mix together the topping ingredients, and when the buns are completely cool, pipe a cross shape over the top of each bun. Enjoy!

Notes

Pro Tip: If you want the topping to be chocolate, too, add in 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder, and just enough milk to give it the right consistency. Enjoy!
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