Small Batch Bakes #11 Monkey Bread Muffins

The best way to use leftover hot cross buns

Hello,

Hope you had a glorious Easter weekend if you were celebrating (and a glorious weekend if you weren’t)! Welcome back to Small Batch Bakes, recipes that serve more than one but fewer than many. If this is your first time seeing the series then here are a couple of my favourite previous episodes:

The Best Cheese Scones

Crumpets

Tiramisu Coffee Crumble Cake

I have a brilliantly easy recipe for you this bank holiday Monday and it’s the perfect way to use any leftover hot cross buns that you might have. Initially I was going to share a bread and butter pudding recipe but a) I’ve shared a few of those before and the method is the same every time and b) thought this recipe would be slightly more interesting, albeit just as simple!

So, these are my Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread Muffins. If you’re not familiar, monkey bread (which I believe originates from Hungary) consists of small dough balls rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar, then stacked in a bundt tin and baked together to create a pull-apart sweet loaf.

I’ve taken inspiration from that idea, but used hot cross buns soaked in a simple custard, then rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked into individual muffins.

The result is 4 deliciously tender pull-apart muffins from gloriously squidgy insides and a crispy cinnamon sugar top. Very very easy but perhaps a little more exciting than your classic bread and butter pudding.

Big Love & Happy Baking,

Eleanor x

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Small Batch Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread Muffins

Makes 4 Muffins

1 Egg

80ml Double Cream

70g Light Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

4 Hot Cross Buns

1 Tsp Cinnamon

Icing Sugar, to dust

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1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

2. Make the custard by whisking together the egg, double cream, vanilla extract, and 20g of the light brown sugar. Once smooth, set aside.

3. Cut each hot cross bun into quarters, then add to the custard. Toss gently until the pieces are well coated, then leave to soak for 10 minutes.

4. While they are soaking, add the remaining 50g of sugar into a shallow bowl along with the cinnamon and mix together, place the hot cross bun pieces in the bowl and toss in the sugar until fully coated.

5. Place 4 pieces of hot cross bun into each hole of a muffin tin. Repeat until you have 4 muffins, then bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops are crisp and the muffins have risen slightly.

6. Allow to cool slightly, then dust with icing sugar before serving.