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Mary

Delicious Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

5 from 2 votes
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!  
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Ingredients Method Notes

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

Method
 

  1. 1. Lightly grease a 10" square pan or 9" x 13" pan.
  2. 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. 3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. 
  4. 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. 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. 6. Whisk together the reserved egg white and milk, and brush it over the buns.
  7. 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. 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!