Hot cross scones

I’ll be doing a series of recipes for the Sasko Quick Treats range over the next few months, showing you how to change these versatile basic mixes into something spectacular for special occasions.

This weekend we are celebrating Easter – a traditional holiday filled with the most decadent chocolate treats, spicy cakes and fruity breads. The most popular Easter treat that comes to mind, surely has to be classic hot cross buns: sweet and spicy rolls with raisins, enjoyed with extra lashings of butter or just on it’s own.

These buns are seriously delicious, but not all of us have the skill or patience to work with yeasty dough. My solution? Get all of the flavour and deliciousness of a hot cross bun by using Sasko Quick Treats Scone Mix, with none of the effort! I added raisins and mixed spice to the basic dough, and topped it off with the traditional “cross” using a simple icing mixture. Your kitchen will smell like Easter, and your family will be treated to a sweet and spicy hot cross scone, fresh from the oven.

Have a beautiful Easter Holiday!

Ingredients:

• 1 x packet Sasko Quick Treats Scone Mix (add 90 g butter/margarine, 1 egg and 140 ml milk as instructed on the packaging)
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins
• 2 t “mixed spice” (mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and all spice)
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar / icing sugar (mixed with a few teaspoons of water)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 C.
2. Follow the instructions on the Sasko Quick Treats Scone Mix packet: rub butter into dry scone mixture, then add raisins and mixed spice and mix well. Continue with instructions: add egg and milk and cut into dry mixture until a soft dough forms. Do not over mix.
3. Gently press down on a floured surface, cut into rounds (2-3 cm in height) with a cookie cutter, and place on a greased/lined baking tray.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, one shelf above the middle, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
5. Place icing sugar in a small mixing bowl, then add water – one teaspoon at a time – and mix to form a thick white paste. Drizzle or pipe onto scones.
6. Serve warm with extra butter, or as desired.