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Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns

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Looking for a sweet treat that’s simple and spiced to perfection? These Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns are a must-try!

Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns

Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns have been a favorite for generations, earning their name because they look a little rugged and rough on the outside. But here’s the twist—they’re anything but hard. Beneath that “rocky” surface, these buns are soft, crumbly, and bursting with sweet, fruity goodness. Loved by bakers for being easy to make and by snackers for their timeless taste, they’re a perfect mix of history and comfort. Plus, they’re fast to whip up when you’re craving something warm and cozy. Why not bring a little piece of history to your kitchen today?

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Timeless Comfort: Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns That Taste Like Home
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Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: EsmeSalon
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 9 servings depending on size 1x
  • Category: Cake, Cupcakes, Cookies and Tarts
  • Method: Easy
  • Cuisine: British

Description

Bake up some joy in just minutes with soft, spiced rock buns that feel like a warm hug in every bite.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 250 g / 2 cups + 1tbsp plain flour
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp baking powder
  • A dash of salt
  • 100 g / 1 stick of butter
  • 75 g / 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of sugar
  • 2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp of mixed spice or cinnamon (optional)
  • 150 g / 1 cup of sultanas and raisins or mixed peel
  • 50 ml / 1/4 cup of buttermilk (or milk with a splash of ± 5 ml of vinegar)
  • 1 large egg


Instructions

  1. I prefer to weigh out my ingredients, as it’s more accurate, but that’s my personal preference.  Feel free to use the other measurements if you wish.
  2. Preheat your oven to 200°C (395°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  3. Sift the flour into a large bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.
  4. Stir in the sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and fruit. Mixed peel is another option that I love. Unfortunately, I did not have any today, but I will add some next time.
  5. Make a well in the center of the mixture and set it aside for now.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk (milk and vinegar) and egg together, then pour this into the flour mixture.
  7. Mix with a spoon, and then continue to use your fingers to bring it all together until there are no dry bits left.
  8. The dough will be soft and a little sticky, so don’t worry if it feels wet.
  9. Spoon 9 lumps of dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray, making sure they’re rough and uneven, like little rocks!
  10. Sprinkle a bit extra sugar over the tops of each one.
  11. Bake for around 15 minutes or until they are golden brown and firm to the touch.
  12. Enjoy your delicious rock buns!


Notes

Created, Prepared, Tasted, and Tested by Esme Slabs from SA Tasty Recipes, Saffas Daily Recipes, and EsmeSalon Homemade Recipes 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 274
  • Sugar: 18.6 g
  • Sodium: 32.2 mg
  • Fat: 9.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 43.7 g
  • Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Protein: 4.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 44.7 mg
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Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns to Bake in Minutes

These Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns are your new favorite cozy snack. With a golden crunch on the outside and a soft, fruit-filled interior, they’re the perfect treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

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14 thoughts on “Quick and Easy Cinnamon-Spiced Rock Buns”

  1. These sound delicious, and I think cinnamon would be just the right touch. Yum. Thank you for sharing this post with all of us at the Will Blog for Comments #60 linkup! Looking forward to seeing what you’ll share at #61, too–it opens next week. Hope your week is a great one. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Esme, you’ve given me a new recipe to try! Last year I made your morning glory muffin recipe, and it was a hit! I’m going to try this recipe because I just know it will be a hit. Thank you for sharing it with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. I’m going to pin this recipe.

    Reply
    • Morning Steph. I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the morning glory muffins. They are truly awesome, right? Hope you will enjoy these rock buns as well. If you have a moment, I will really appreciate it if you can leave a review on both these recipes as it will help others to try it out as well. thanks in advance and enjoy it Steph.

      Reply
  3. Quick & Easy love that. These look so good about to pin this so I can reference it at a later date to make for my kiddos. I did not know how to make buttermilk with milk & vinegar that was very helpful to me as well.

    Reply
    • Hi Jen, Thank you for pinning and hope that the kiddos will love it. I many times do make buttermilk when I have run out of store bought. It’s slightly different (not as thick) but does the trick, and I am happy with it.

      Reply
  4. The name intrigued me, which I suppose is the point. 🙂 These do look delicious and easy to make. I admit I’ve never thought of putting cinnamon, raisins, and citrus peel in a biscuit, but there’s no reason why not to. Another must-try.

    Reply
    • Good morning Marie. I am totally in love with rock buns, and this mixture of cinnamon, raisins and the peel is awesome. I must be careful or I will gobble them all in one sitting, they are superb. Hope you enjoy them. Please do let me know how they turned out for you.

      Reply
  5. I love anything with cinnamon. I’m not familiar with sultanas or mixed peel though. Otherwise sounds fairly easy. And I have seen recipes that suggest weighing rather than measuring, and suspect it is more accurate.

    Reply
    • Hi Aletha, Sultanas are dried, golden-colored, seedless grapes, also known as golden raisins, and Mixed peel is basically candied lemon and orange peel. Feel free to use whatever you are familiar with and have on hand. Yes, I prefer whenever to weigh rather than measure as to my mind it’s more accurate.

      Reply
  6. And here you are again, creating something that instantly made me hungry! These look absolutely mouthwatering — definitely the kind of treat that makes you forget all about low-carb plans!

    Reply

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