Chocolate Caramel Hot Cross Buns |Cooking With Amanda

Hello all my fellow food loving fanatics! I'm back again with some chocolate yummies for you. With Easter season approaching I thought putting a fun twist on my chocolate hot cross buns would be oodles of fun.

You are probably wondering what on Earth chocolate hot cross buns are. Well, they were a happy little accident I made about 15 years ago or so. A happy accident that turned into my daughter's favourite treat.

Chocolate Caramel Hot Cross Buns Picture

I was making hot cross buns one day and discovered I had run out of raisins. I decided to try adding chocolate chips instead. I was wildly distracted at the time, as us moms often are, and I popped the chips in too early.

So if you know anything about bread machines you know they get quite warm while making dough. It helps the dough rise. In helping the dough rise, it also melted my chocolate chips.

Instead of tossing the chips in at the end, had I added them before the machine had finished mixing. So it stirred that melted chocolate right into the dough. I was left with a beautiful looking chocolate dough.

I'm one of those people who rolls with things. I figured I would just try making them even though it wasn't my original plan. That way I wasn't wasting a batch of dough. So I baked them up the same as any other hot cross bun recipe.

When they were finished, my daughter, who was quite young and picky at the time, took one bite, smiled then inhaled the rest of that chocolate hot cross bun, plus three more. I was in shock. This kid was not easy to please.

From that day forward she declared chocolate hot cross buns her favourite. I've been making them ever since. She likes hers coated completely with icing while they are hot, instead of the traditional thick icing piped into crosses.

Since this batch was going to be a special batch for Food Fanatic, I stuffed these little suckers with caramel and even more chocolate. The results were fantastic. You are going to love these chocolate caramel hot cross buns so much.

I suggest making a double batch. Your family will inhale them so fast when they are hot that you will want a second batch so you can cool and decorate them. Trust me, in this case, more is better.

Hope you enjoy them. I know we sure did!

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Chocolate Caramel Hot Cross Buns Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Buns:

1 1/3 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For Stuffing the Buns:

1 cup caramel bits
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

For the Buns:

Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place all of the ingredients for the buns in your bread machine mixing bowl in order listed. Turn the machine on the dough setting. Turn the machine on and allow it to do its thing (about two hours).
When the bread machine is done, remove the dough and set on lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into about 18 pieces. Shape into round, slightly flat buns, then flatten slightly so you can stuff them. Stuff the middle of each one with 3 to 5 pieces of caramel bits and 3 to 5 chocolate chips. Then pull up the sides and stretch the dough so the caramel bits and chocolate chips are inside the dough, sort of like stuffing a calzone. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes, so they double in size.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl, whisk until combined. Brush this on the buns, lightly. Make cuts into buns to make little crosses.
Place the cookie sheets in the oven, bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes.
Remove from oven when they appear golden.

For the Glaze:

Combine ingredients in a small bowl, whisk until combined. You can add more confectioners' sugar if it needs to be thicker, or you can add more milk if it needs to be less thick.
Now drizzle with the glaze while the buns are still warm if you are eating them hot. If you prefer to serve them at room temperature you can allow them to cool completely on wire cooling rack.
Then make thick icing instead of a glaze, all you do is increase the amount of confectioners' sugar to get a thicker consistency. Put in a piping bag and pipe little crosses on each bun.
Serve with a big old caramel and chocolate loving smile!