In a small bowl, combine citrus peel, cranberries, apricots & rum extract. Set aside to marinate while preparing dough. When ready to use, add chopped almonds. Drain off any excess extract.
Dough
In a small dish, heat milk to lukewarm. Add yeast & 1 tsp sugar; let sit for 5 minutes to allow yeast to activate. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter, sour cream & egg. Add yeast mixture & stir to combine.
In another bowl, whisk flour, spices & salt. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture 1 cup at a time, combining after each addition. Once all flour has been added, knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes.
Lightly grease the large bowl, place dough in it & cover with plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rest for at least one hour, in a draft-free place until dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough; divide into 18 equal pieces & roll each with a rolling pin. Divide, drained fruit mixture between rolls. Pull corners toward the center, pinching to form pockets. Place filled pockets in a round baking pan with the pinched corners up. Cover with plastic wrap & a tea towel; allow to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake pockets about 20 minutes or until baked & golden. Remove from oven; cool before drizzling with glaze in the form of a cross on each bun.
Glaze
In a small dish, combine powdered sugar & lemon juice; mixing until a smooth consistency for drizzling.
Recipe Notes
If you wish, don’t hesitate to brush each pocket with egg wash before baking. Probably easiest to do it with your finger tips.