All the weird and wonderful hot cross bun flavours put to the test

What's made of sugar and spice and all things nice? Hot cross buns, of course.

Easter's still a few weeks away, but hot cross buns are already popping up in supermarkets across the country.

But there's something a little different on offer in the bakery aisle this year. Gone are the days when a hot cross bun was simply the cinnamon and raisin variety we all grew up with.

If you're not a fan of the original, these days you can get your hands on brioche, chocolate chip, Cookie Time, and now even peanut butter flavoured hot cross buns.

And while you can't beat a freshly toasted hot cross bun slathered with butter, are these new flavours worth a go?

The Herald video team got their hands on a selection of hot cross bun flavours and took them to the people to put them to the test. Watch the video for their verdict.

Are brioche hot cross buns (left) a new favourite? Photo / NZ Herald

Brioche

Dense but tasty was the overwhelming verdict for these bad boys, a combination of the classic bun with a French pastry twist.

They're soft, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth - but are they missing that cinnamon flavour we all know and love?

You can now enjoy your hot cross bun with a dollop of Pic's peanut butter in the middle (bottom). Photo / NZ Herald

Peanut butter

Hot cross buns are the latest classic treat to get a collaboration with Pic's peanut butter, with a dollop baked into the centre.

The Gooey Peanut Butter Choc Cross Bun won Foodstuffs' South Island annual hot cross bun competition - but is the flavour combo a winner?

If you're not a cinnamon fan, this might be the bun for you.

Chocolate hot cross buns have been around for a while. Photo / Getty Images

Chocolate

Chocolate hot cross buns are nothing new - we've seen the raisins replaced with chocolate chips before.

But as one of our intrepid taste testers suggested, what if we combined the chocolate and peanut butter flavours for a Nutella-inspired hot cross bun? Too far?

Are these Cookie Time hot cross buns a new classic? Photo / Countdown

Cookie Time

Perhaps the most "out there" flavour of them all, you can now get your Cookie Time cookie in hot cross bun form.

The raisins have been replaced with cookie chunks, a cocoa cross, and a mini Cookie Time cookie atop each bun.

Which hot cross bun reigns supreme? Photo / Getty Images

Classic cinnamon

Turns out you simply can't beat a classic.

The overwhelming majority of the Herald's taste testers delivered the verdict that the traditional hot cross bun is still the favourite after all, despite the number of weird and wonderful flavours available.