NEW! Sticky Toffee Hot Cross Buns (Morrisons)

I've reviewed many of the supermarket 2017 hot cross bun creations this year, but there's one last variety that I'd been requested to review. I promised I would do so if I could find them, but they kept escaping me. In all honesty I was quite content in the knowledge that I've stocked up on the M&S carrot cake buns, which are stashed in my freezer so that I can continue to fuel my addiction post-Easter. Then, today, the sticky toffee buns finally appeared in my local Morrisons, and although I wasn't filled with the innate desire to try them, a promise is a promise and so they ended up in my basket -swiftly followed by my belly.

“Sticky toffee flavoured spiced buns made with sultanas, date and fudge pieces.” 

The buns are priced at £1 for four and fall under Morrisons' 'The Best' range. They were reasonably soft to the touch, with a rather dainty cross on top.

Slicing my bun in two revealed a dark coloured dough, not too dissimilar in hue to Lyle’s golden syrup cake*. I didn’t even bother tasting it at room temperature, my instincts told me that it would be much so much better warmed up -much like sticky toffee pudding. 

The bun halves were slim enough to fit into my toaster without getting stuck, and I just popped them in for a minute or so until they were just about warm, before slathering them in butter. 

Blow me down. They were really rather good. The texture was much better than I’d anticipated, well proven and with ample moistness coming from the plentitude of dried fruit pieces. The sultanas and date pieces were squidgy at that, injecting little bursts of fruitiness.

Flavour-wise Morrisons have done extremely well too; a strong syrupy flavour permeates the dough, which precedes the lovely warming spices that follow. It’s certainly one for those with a sweet inclination, but I thought that they were delicious.

I’m thoroughly pleased that I made that initial promise now, otherwise I’d have never bothered trying Morrison’s sticky toffee pudding-humble hot cross bun hybrid. They're right up there with M&S' buns and they're cheaper too, so if you find them, buy them! 

9/10

*now added to the shopping list of items I don’t need but am craving.

NEW! Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns (Morrisons)

It's time for the last in the chocolate orange hot cross bun trilogy* today. Perhaps you'd think that M&S or Waitrose would sell the stock that would be most difficult to track down (sincerest apologies to those of you still hunting for M&S' carrot cake hot x buns) but in this case it was Morrisons who had me running round in circles -or at least in and out of our local store. I first spotted them way back in January, and made a mental note to come back and buy some once I'd got through my initial Easter hoard, but then they disappeared! Poof. 

Gone. Weeks went by when there was no non-bakery buns on Morrisons' shelves. Then the apple & cinnamon flavour started to make a reappearance, eventually followed by these chocolate orange buns. 

"Hot cross buns with chocolate chips and orange oil."

At 82p for 6 they're the cheapest I've bought so far. The buns are also part of a 2 for £1.50 deal and are freezable to boot.

They're soft and fluffy too! After all of the brioche style hot crosses it's a welcome surprise to slice open one with the same sort of texture as a classic iced bun. There were plenty of large chocolate chips to be found hiding within the pale brown dough, although the orange wasn't as aromatic as I had hoped.

The bun's texture was good, but the flavour wasn't much to shout about. I could taste a mild amount of cocoa but the orange oil was all but lost again. Why can't any of the companies deliver a really citrussy bun?

As before I tried all manner of toppings: naked it was too dry, both jam and peanut butter were a bit odd, chocolate was good but overpowered the flavour completely, so butter was the best bet.

Back to the carrot cake buns for me 🙈

6/10

*My review of Waitrose's Mini Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns can be found here and M&S' one here. 

NEW! Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns (M&S)

Did you have Easter Egg hunts as a child? We did, it was my favourite part of Easter. In fact I think I enjoyed it more than actually eating the chocolate (hard to believe, I know) because I'm so damn unrelenting and love a good puzzle. Sod the fact the cousins were round, I revelled in the joy of finding an egg when or where I least expected to. Perhaps that's part of the reason I love writing this blog so much, I revel in the thrill of finding a new product and then telling you all about it. That's certainly been the case this week after both Sarah (baking extraordinaire of Waffly Versatile) and Nat (chocolate expert at Lot-O-Choc) notified me to an instagram post from writer Felicity Spector. Cream Cheese Carrot Cake hot cross buns? Jeepers. They sounded rather good, and if they're anything like M&S's ingenius Boobie Buns... Needless to say, the Hot Cross Bun Hunt was on.

Monday afternoon: none in Worcester, but they did have a ticket out. Humf. I popped into Hereford store on the way home, who incidentally thought I had lost the plot and didn't know what on earth I was on about. Carrot cake? Yes! Hot Cross buns? Yes! Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns however...?

Tuesday afternoon: the ticket is out in Hereford! But no stock as yet...









By Wednesday I'm having kittens every time someone posts a picture on instagram of their Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns. How is everyone else so much better at this Easter hunt than me? I call the store and speaks to a helpful assistant, who kindly advises me that not all stock goes to all stores and it's unlikely that Hereford will receive them first. But then, he finds them. Jackpot! Reserve me two packs please...

"2 Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns with pieces of carrot, sunflower seeds, a hint of cinnamon and filled with cream cheese frosting."

[At this point I'd like to congratulate you for sticking with me and my strangeness. It's the small wins in life ok?]

I really hoped that they would be worth the effort. Aesthetically the buns appeared indifferent to your normal fruited variety -save for the odd slither of grated carrot- and the scent was very similar too. Unlike your normal hot crosses however, these can't be toasted or frozen.

I sliced the buns in half, anticipating a similar oozy centre to the brandy sauced filled Boobie buns. Oh.

Was that it?

Hmm M&S, that's a bit stingy and very lopsided. Still I tried to look for the positives; at least I'd have the opportunity to taste the dough on its own.

It was scrummy too, with a good strength of mixed spice and plenty of juicy raisins and date pieces, meaning the texture was very moist. The flavour didn't particularly scream of carrot cake, and I think I wouldn't have noticed that it was any different to a traditional bun If I wasn't aware that it was meant to resemble one. That said, what is the flavour of carrot cake? For me it's a moist cake with plenty of spice and dried fruit, so I guess M&S ticked all the boxes. I can't say I noticed the sunflower seeds, but I didn't miss them either. 

On to the cream cheese frosting: AKA the best bit of a carrot cake (or red velvet/cinnamon bun for that matter). I wondered how a traditionally refrigerated dairy based would fair within an ambient product.

Very well it turns out! The wizards at M&S have done it again; they've mastered the balance so that the frosting was primarily sweet with just enough tang to take the edge off. It's a genius filling for a hot cross bun, although I did find myself craving strawberry jam for the non-filled side.

Hats off to Marks & Sparks for their Hot Cross Buns this year (let's just forget the chocolate orange minis never existed, eh?). They've bent the boundaries and created two cracking versions. I'll happily enjoy these and their Savoury Cheese Hot Cross Buns right through to Easter -especially whilst they're both in the 2 for £2.50 bakery offer.

9/10 (it would be a 10 if the filling was more consistent).

On a side note, I spotted Waitrose's new luxury Heston buns today at long last, but I can't say they're anywhere near as inspiring...

Didn't he do Earl Grey stollen bites at Christmas too? C'mon Heston, that's plain lazy.

NEW! Savoury Cheese Hot Cross Buns (M&S)

Marks & Sparks' savoury hot cross buns have been gnawing away in the back of my mind since I spotted them six weeks ago.

What were M&S thinking? Had they created the new salted caramel and produced something so odd sounding that actually we'll all be living off in a few years time? Or were they just a disaster lying in wait for the poor sucker who dared to try them? Oh and how do you even serve them anyway? It's never a good sign to be thinking about something that much and not buy it, so I patiently waited to find one with the yellow reduced sticker at the end of the day.

Except that day never came, and so whilst my faith in the buns grew in line with their lack of clearance time rejection, my curiosity also surged. That was until I was perused Instagram on the train home yesterday and spotted a well-timed post from Marks & Spencer about their cheesy buns:

"M&S has launched the UK's first savoury hot cross bun. The Savoury Cheese Bun is made with a blend of two cheeses, just Turkish sultanas, onion, chives and of course traditional hot cross bun spice. It's said to be the perfect pairing of fruit and cheese and delicious stuffed with bacon for a gourmet bacon butty!  #hotcross17"

 I was hungry. I detoured. Oops. They were £1.70 each (I think) or 2 for £2.50.

 "4 savoury hot cross buns: a blend of 2 cheeses with Turkish sultanas, onions and chives with spices and a brewers yeast flavoured cross."

As someone who can't bear the sultanas in coronation chicken (or ham and pineapple for that matter) I wasn't sure how well I'd get on with these buns. Still I shouldn't moan considering I was only recently complaining about the lack of fruit in others.

I contemplated serving it with melted cheese (but I thought it might mask the cheesiness of the bun) then considered toasting it with butter and marmite, before deciding to roll with the serving idea suggested below the very instagram post that prompted my purchase in the first place. Bacon butty time it was!

The non-toasted bun was remarkably soft, with a strong cheesy chive scent. I couldn't help but nibble the corner whilst waiting for my bacon to cook and was oddly surprised at how odd the combination of the flavours was but also how much I enjoyed it.

The decision to fill it with smoked bacon and ketchup was genius. My tastebuds enjoyed the complexity of flavours; with the spices, sultanas, cheddar and chives prevalent in every bite. I thought that perhaps one element would fight for dominance, but instead they seemed to work in harmony. The added salinity from the bacon was welcome, and I'm not sure if the bun would have have tasted too sweet without it. As for the texture of the bun, it was denser and moister than your normal cheese topped bap, but I found the soft chewiness to be extraordinarily comforting.

I think I may have found a new favourite lunch time treat, bravo M&S! Stay tuned for a review of their mini chocolate orange hot cross buns...

10/10

NEW! Salted Caramel & Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns (Tesco)

It's 1:30am here in Malaysia and I'm waiting to be collected from the hotel for the 23 hour+ journey home. I'm so sad to be leaving this wonderful country and can highly recommend visiting it to anyone considering Kuala Lumpur and/or Penang. Whilst the food here has been mostly incredible, and ridiculously cheap, there's a few foodstuffs that I've been craving. One such item is the humble hot cross bun. Not long before I left my obsession with the traditional Easter Friday snack returned in full force, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into my next fix.

Having tried Waitrose's Cherry & Almond and Mini Chocolate Orange Buns, I turned to Tesco a few weeks ago to sample their 2017 editions. For the past couple of years they've sold double chocolate hot cross buns (which sound better than they tasted) but this year they've decided to extol the ultimate food trend that refuses to die: salted caramel. Tesco's bakery salted caramel and chocolate chip buns are sold in four packs for 65p or two for £1. Could this supermarket have finally produced a hot cross bun that my other half would actually eat*?

"4 Soft salted caramel flavour hot cross buns with milk chocolate chips."

I asked Bert to pick me up a couple of packs, and I'm not sure if he hunted for the biggest buns he could find or if all of Tesco's hot cross buns are whoppers this years, but both of our packs contained some of the biggest versions I've ever seen. These buns looked even bigger than Heston's 2016 Bakewell Buns! Out of interest I popped one on the scale. My eyes weren't deceiving me, it was over 100g! They were also on the rather tanned side of the equation, but I wasn't sure if that was simply how they were meant to be.

Tesco's salted caramel and chocolate chip hot cross buns were noticeably firmer than either of Waitrose's, but this did make them easier to slice. The interior of the bun was darker than a normal dough, and had an ample supply of chocolate chips. As normal I tried the buns both warm and cold and with a number of toppings.

I'm not sure how or where the salted caramel came into the equation for all I could taste was a standard sweet bread dough. The texture wasn't particularly fluffy, although this mattered less when they were toasted. As for the chocolate chips, they were so-so; injecting a cocoa flavour but nothing to shout about.

I found that the best way to enjoy these buns was warmed up and smothered with Biscoff or chocolate spread and banana... To be honest, the biggest bonus was that Bert enjoyed them and they were sizeable enough to sustain him through during his night shifts (but only when covered in biscuit spread).

6/10


*I'm not even sure why Bert doesn't like hot cross buns, he likes buns, cinnamon and raisins.. But apparently not together. .

NEW! Rich & Buttery Cherry & Almond Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

Well it didn't take me long to return to Waitrose to buy the cherry and almond full size buns after the mini chocolate orange hot cross buns. The minis hadn't quite scratched the itch and had perhaps aggravated it instead. I found myself just needing to sink my teeth into a fruity bun (it is Humpday after all).

I couldn't even get a bargain in Waitrose this time around, although most of their hot cross buns are currently on offer for £1.26 per pack (normally £1.50) or 2 for £2.50. I avoided saving myself a whole tuppence by buying two, I restrained myself and bought just a single pack of cherry & almond buns. Some of the packs on the shelf didn't look particularly fruity, but of course I dug around to find the most aesthetic of the bunch. 

 "4 fruited hot cross buns made with californian raisins, cherries, cranberries and almonds. Enriched with butter and egg."

I couldn't get over how soft and light these buns were. The texture probably had a lot to do with the enriched dough, technically making them more like a brioche. They were also a beautiful glossy golden brown and smelt wonderfully of almond extract. Oof. I was instantly pretty sure I'd made a good choice this time around, but then I recalled my experience last year with the similarly flavoured humongous Hot Cross Buns under their Heston label which were somewhat lacking in the flavour department. I crossed my fingers and toes.

I sliced my first bun in two, and discovered just how fluffy it was. It was so delicate that I thought I would destroy it with my clumsy knife skills, but just about managed to dissect it respectably. Then came the usual quandary.. toast it? Cover it in butter? Or jam? I couldn't make my mind up (no change there then) and opted for one half toasted, one half ambient and then covered both slices with a haphazard array of jam and butter. Oh dear.

I sampled the toasted half first -before it went cold- and was instantly pleased by the super melt in the mouth texture. It was pretty damn perfect and tasted so fresh that I could pretend that Waitrose's master bakers (oo-er) had made my batch that very morning.

As for the flavour, the almond element is much more prominent this year, and penetrates every morsel of the dough -despite it making up exactly the same proportion of the ingredients (only 1.5%). Even better was the abundance of big juicy cherries that were embedded within the bun, offering additional flavour and moistness. The raisins and cranberries were also welcome, meaning that most mouthfuls had some sort of fruit in. Mmm heavenly. If anything, the butter and jam I used as toppings were extraneous because the taste and texture were so well executed.

Normally I prefer my hot cross buns toasted, but the softness of the bread leant itself to an equally delicious ambient bun. The jam and butter complimented the dough but I shall try another one tonight completely naked (what's with me today?) so that I can completely appreciate one of my all-time favourite flavour combinations: cherry and almond.

9/10

NEW! Mini Chocolate & Orange Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

It's official. I'm missing mince pies, yet I still can't bring myself to buy the ones still lurking in Waitrose, Greggs or poundland. It's January after all and one must wait until they return to supermarket shelves in August. Helping my pining situation somewhat however is the arrival of the hot cross buns. As I said the other night, the best way to get over mince pies is to get into hot cross buns! It's going to be a similar situation in my house though to the festive pies, I've already spotted so many that I want to try (and will review) but Bert won't touch the things. Oh well, more buns to grow the buns 🍑, right?

The first buns to be bought however were these chocolate orange mini versions from Waitrose, which appealed because they were reduced to just 55p. Chocolate orange seems to be the favoured flavour choice this year and I've seen versions in M&S and Morrisons too. To be honest It was Waitrose's cherry almond buns that really appealed -which I'm praying are an improvement on their Heston's Bakewell buns of last year- but they were full price so will have to wait.

"9 Hot cross buns made with dark chocolate and orange zest."

There's only one pack that I've seen that just aren't appealing to me right now* but made me think of Becky & Gemma on Instagram who both left me comments about eating hot cross buns with marmite...

Meanwhile the chocolate orange mini buns looked a little worse for wear, and for once my clumsiness wasn't to blame, for they had been rammed into the bargain bin (you should've seen the state of some of the loaves in there).

A super strong tang greeted my nostrils as soon as I ripped open the pack. They were fairly soft and light too, so far so good.

I decided to try my first bun toasted with JimJams chocolate hazelnut spread, but that proved to be a silly move because the chocolate chips melted over the toaster and the chocolate spread completely overpowered the orange flavour. As a messy chocolatey bun it was enjoyable though!

Attempt number two I decided to eat at room temperature, and spread one half with butter and the other half with peanut butter. I couldn't help myself ok? This time I could really appreciate the richness of both the dough and the dark chocolate chips. Unfortunately the orange flavour was once again overshadowed, and I'd have really like the smell to have translated into taste. The 3% zest just wasn't enough to shine through. My other bug bear was the lack of raisins or sultanas. Is it just me who doesn't believe a bun is 'hot cross' unless brimming with dried fruit?

I can't deny that I enjoyed my first buns of the year, but I hope they're not the best 2017 has to offer.

After the marmite comments I'm intrigued: how do you eat yours?

6/10

*inquisitiveness might change this though!

NEW! Butterkist Limited Edition Hot Cross Bun Popcorn (Home Bargains)

Another boring lecture was much improved back in January by my twitter feed revealing food news. This time I was grateful to Butterkist for announcing the release of a new Easter flavour to their range, due to be released on Valentines day. Ever since February the 14th, I've been hunting for their new Hot Cross Bun Popcorn, but it's proved more evasive than the Easter Bunny!

Finally, a month after it's release date I found Butterkist's newest product -in Home Bargains of all places- for the very reasonable sum of 69p. It's a big ol' sharing bag too, containing 6 25g servings, what a steal!

"Enjoy the zesty and spicy taste of your Easter favourite, hot cross buns, in Butterkist's crisp and crunchy popcorn -it's the perfect Easter treat."

I had imagined it to be normal popcorn dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg, and hadn't really considered that it would instead be coated with a 'bun spice flavour toffee'.

The 25g serving size was surprisingly generous (more than a handful atleast!), and was coated with the same golden glaze as their Toffee popcorn. I couldn't smell any spices when I opened the bag, and feared they'd be similarly as lacking in promised flavour as Waitrose's 'Cherry Bakewell' & 'Sticky Toffee' Hot Cross Buns.

I needn't have worried; for what the popcorn failed to deliver in aroma, it more than made up for in taste. With my first bite, I was greeted by a strong, sweet citrussy tang, followed by the familiarly warming Easter spices. The popcorn was every bit as crunchy and crisp as expected, resulting in a beautifully balanced harmony of texture and flavour. The zestiness cut through the sweet coating, which meant that the popcorn was far less sickly than Butterkist's toffee flavour, and therefore much more enjoyable to eat. It was so moreish, that I imagine if I hadn't have portioned out my lot, I could've polished off the entire bag in one sitting.

I was pleasantly surprised by Butterkist's limited edition popcorn, and it seems an utter shame that it's not more widely available. If you're a lover of hot cross buns, I recommend that you hot foot it over to Home Bargains and pick yourself up a bag (or more!) of the Easter flavour before it disappears altogether!  

9/10

NEW! 'Cherry Bakewell' & 'Mini Sticky Toffee' Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

I've been eagerly waiting to try Heston's Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns since Nibbles 'N' Scribbles lauded their ingenuity way back in March. True to form* however, it's taken Waitrose almost two months to send these new Easter treats to our local store.

*I still haven't quite forgiven the branch for not stocking their love life! Turkey sarnie at Christmas, of which I heard great things.

All of Waitrose's Hot Cross Buns are on a 2 for £2.50 offer at the moment, (the Heston Buns are £1.89 on their own) so I chose the aforementioned cherry buns and some mini sticky toffee buns -also a new 2016 Easter addition.

Heston's Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns 

As you may recall I'm not a huge fan of Mr Blumenthal, something I mentioned when reviewing his Toffee Apple Cider, but the idea of two British classics combined in seasonal carb-heaven sounded just to good an opportunity to miss. I have an affinity towards anything Cherry Bakewell and so I was intrigued to discover how well Heston had managed to amalgamate the flavours.

'Cross a hot cross bun with flavours of a bakewell tart and you get something deliciously different.' 

Big promises there Mr B. The buns were pretty enormous -I'd guess a third bigger than regular versions- with clearly defined crosses on top. I was going to toast one half and try the other half cold, but before I knew it I'd popped both under the grill and slathered them in butter. Oops.

The buns felt heavy (they're almost 100g each) but were surprisingly light and fluffy. They reminded me of Brioche, as the same butteriness shone through, giving the buns a luxurious, artisinal quality. 

My first bite heralded a strong almond hit, with a delicious marzipan-like taste that was simply divine. The likeness to a Bakewell tart stopped there though unfortunately, it seems I hit the jackpot with my first mouthful and the rest of the bun was comparatively lacklustre. My disappointment was explained when I read the ingredients list: almonds make up only 2% of the bun and cherries 3%. I can't help but think that these buns could have been improved by the addition of a cherry jam swirled throughout; I had added some blueberry jam (I hadn't got any cherry unfortunately!) to the second half and found it much more enjoyable.

7/10

Sticky Toffee Mini Hot Cross Buns

From one size extreme to the other! These mini hot cross buns were quite cute, and were a similar size to M&S' mini mocha version.  There were plenty of plump looking raisins and sultanas to be seen, which pleased me considering M&S chose to omit the fruit altogether.

This time I managed to hold back from toasting both halves, and grilled just one. I covered both sides in butter as per the serving suggestion and got stuck in.

Again, Waitrose didn't disappoint with the texture of these buns. They were also soft and fluffy despite their size. I was met with a lovely fruity taste with the first half, but the melted butter overwhelmed the flavours and I couldn't detect the toffee element. 

Onto the second (non-toasted) half, and I hoped that the toffee pieces would prove easier to find, but -alas!- there was none to be found. I checked the ingredients, which claims that they make up 8% of the buns, but I think I must've chosen a dodgy specimen because I couldn't find any. None. Nada. I successfully found the date pieces however, which make up 6%, and they added a lovely gooey fruitiness to the buns.  

Don't get me wrong, again these buns tasted wonderful, it's just that they weren't very true to their description. 

7/10

Summary

These hot cross buns are yummy seasonal offerings from Waitrose. I loved the idea of them, it's just a shame that the flavours weren't as pronounced as they could have been. Texturally they are perfect, and much better than M&S's horribly dry 'Cherries & Berries' hot cross buns -which I suggest you steer clear of!

Waitrose also make a delicious sounding Cherry Bakewell Granola, but I'm a bit concerned now as to whether that would be lacking in flavour too. Have you tried it? If so, what do you think? Also, have you tried any wonderful Hot Cross Buns this year? Please do leave me a comment with your thoughts and suggestions!

NEW! Mini Mocha Hot Cross Buns (M&S)

Good old Hot Cross Buns, the Easter-time bakery treat that makes the cold wintry days that little more comforting. As traditional as they may be however, they haven't managed to escape the recent trend of being enhanced or meddled with (depending on your viewpoint).

Over recent years we've seen the emergence of creations such as the double chocolate Hot Cross Buns (Tesco in-store bakery) and chocolate fudge buns (M&S and Tesco). Lauren from Nibbles 'n' Scribbles recently reviewed Waitrose's newest buns on the block- Heston's Cherry Bakewell -which unfortunately I haven't been able to find as they sound divine! Of course M&S couldn't miss the opportunity to create something potentially even more wacky, so they have pulled out the Mini Mocha Hot Cross Buns.

I wasn't sure what to expect. Although I love Mocha, its transference into snack items can be a bit hit and miss.  KitKat Mocha underplayed the coffee element, whilst Nakd's bar lacked the required sweetness. I also wasn't sure how to serve them... With butter? Jam? Warm? Or just plain and cold? 

I could smell the cocoa and spices as soon as I unwrapped the buns, but couldn't really detect the coffee. However, with my first mouthful, I was pleased to discover that both the coffee and dark chocolate favours were in abundance. I couldn't quite get round my head around the concept at first. It was the combination of flavours one might expect in a mocha cake, but with the light and fluffy texture of a hot cross bun. The spices were somewhat lost against the coffee and chocolate, but that wasn't a problem as there was already so much going on.

I tried a whole realm of possibilities with regards to temperatures and filling, but I certainly most enjoyed the buns  when slightly warm and slathered in butter -with the chocolate chips starting to melt. I imagine they would be pleasant filled with cream cheese to resemble the icing on the cake -or rather, bun/ 

I'm not sure these will ever replace unadulterated Hot Cross Buns for me, and I did buy some of M&S' more traditional buns when purchasing the mocha variety, but they certainly make a good alternative afternoon treat.

7/10