Little Hot Cross Bites

Little hot cross bun style balls in a pink bowl on a pink and white napkin

These little hot cross bites are perfect for Easter time. You will love to whip up these no-bake energy balls, which have all the cosy, spiced flavours of a hot cross bun, rolled into soft and naturally sweet balls. The orange zest lifts everything, the raisins bring those yummy, familiar bursts of fruit, and the white chocolate cross finishes them off perfectly for Easter.

Make them all year round without the cross, as they are made with simple ingredients that are nutrient-dense and provide fibre to help keep energy levels steady. They are a handy after-school snack or to keep in your fridge for your hungry fridge-raiders.

This recipe is naturally egg-free, and you’ll find dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free options in the notes below.

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Little Hot Cross Bites

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Puddings, Snacks & Treats
Servings 9 Balls
Suitable for Special Diet (or adaptable) Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Low-sugar, Nut-free, Sensory, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

For the crosses

Instructions
 

  • Place the pitted dates, almond butter, oats, orange zest and mixed spice into a food processor. Blend until the mixture starts to come together into a soft, sticky dough. This usually takes about a minute. If your dates are a little dry, it may take slightly longer or add a couple more dates. If the mixture feels too sticky, add a few extra oats.
  • Stir the raisins into the dough mixture.
  • With slightly damp hands, shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
  • Melt the white chocolate and add to a small piping bag or a silicone ‘decopen’ and pipe a cross onto each ball.
  • Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up, then serve.

Notes

I like to use a Lékué Decopen silicone piping set to make neat crosses. (paid link) 
For nut-free, swap almond butter for sunflower butter or tahini.
For gluten-free, use gluten-free oats.
For dairy-free and vegan crosses, use dairy-free white chocolate such as Om Bar Blonde
Store these energy balls in the fridge for up to 4 days and you can freeze them for up to 3 months. They taste very yummy when eaten straight out of the freezer!
 

Per serving. Nutrition content in food is never consistent, so take these estimates with a pinch of salt! Also, our recipes tend to use low-GI carbs and sugars, so these values are not directly comparable with shop-bought UPFs.

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