Wake up to something incredible with these delicious Dried Apricot Muffins!
Mornings can be so beautiful when you have the right flavors. That's why I always try to start my day with something delicious!
Get off on the right foot with these apricot-infused treats! You will love this recipe because:
- Homebaked Elegance: These adorable muffins look lovely and taste so great people will think a pro chef made them!
- Caramel Crunch: You will love the taste of caramel melding with apricot and lemon in this perfect bite!
- Morning Magic: Bake these on Sunday night and then you have the perfect easy breakfast to start the week with a smile!
- Easy Meets Incredible: My Apricot Muffins have so many little surprises in texture in taste yet they are easy enough for anyone to make!
- Perfect Coffee Pairing: These muffins are the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee!
🥘 Ingredients
- Butter: Butter makes the delicious spongy base of the muffin. It is also used to make the luscious caramel topping. Opt for unsalted butter or use a tad less salt later in the recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar brings a wonderfully chewy sweetness to these muffins. It is also used to make the delectable apricot caramel topping.
- Kosher Salt: A pinch of salt brings out the complex sweet and fruity notes in these tasty morning muffins!
- Lemon Zest: The zest of citrus fruit has a wonderfully pronounced flavor. That is why I love adding it as a flavoring to these sweet and fruity muffins!
- Lemon Juice: A touch of fresh lemon juice brings out the most fantastic flavor in this bake.
- Egg: Choose fresh eggs to bind, leaven, and enrich these yummy bites.
- Cake Flour: This variety of flour is lighter than average pantry flour and it leads to an airy yet chewy muffin.
- Baking Powder: Using a little baking powder helps ensure that these muffins rise to be big, beautiful, and completely delicious!
- Milk: Adding milk to the muffin batter gives them a rich dairy flavor.
- Heavy Cream: This thick dairy is used to make the luscious apricot and caramel topping.
- Honey: Honey makes the caramel complex and delicious.
- Dried Apricots: Dried apricots add an awesome fruity chew and taste to muffins. Plus, using dried fruits makes this recipe easy to make all year round!
- Slivered Almonds: The almonds add an incredible crunch to the muffins. This texture makes biting into them so exciting!
- Dark Chocolate: A little dark chocolate drizzle adds a splendid bitter contrast to all the bright and bright flavors in these treats.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step One: Preheat the oven and line the muffin pan with paper liners.
Step Two: Cream the butter, sugar, and salt.
Step Three: Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg.
Step Four: Combine the flour and baking powder. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture. Continue adding and mixing until both are fully incorporated.
Step Five: Divide the batter between the muffin cups and then par-bake the muffins for about 15 minutes.
Step Six: While the muffins bake, bring the heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, and honey to the boil. Dinner the mixture for about 5 minutes before removing from heat.
Step Seven: Chop the apricots. Add the apricots and almonds to the caramel.
Step Eight: Remove the par-baked muffins from the oven and add the caramel mixture to the top of each one. Return the pan to the oven to finish baking.
Step Nine: Melt the chocolate. Drizzle it over the finished muffins to garnish and then enjoy!
⚭ The Perfect Pairing
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins {three ingredients}
- Apple Yogurt Breakfast Granola
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Granola
- Easy Rice Pudding Breakfast
- Apricot Compote
- Apple Compote
- Biscoff Granola
- Lavender Lemon Muffins
- Red Velvet Cupcakes without Buttermilk
- Baileys Salted Caramel Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cobbler
🌡️ Storage
These amazing apricot muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
And, you can also freeze fully baked muffins. First, allow them to cool completely, and then wrap each one in plastic. Place the wrapped muffins in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw frozen muffins in the fridge overnight.
🫐 Variations
There are so many delicious ways to twist this recipe up with fun fruity flavors. Try trading the apricots for dried cranberries for a wintery mix or swap them for goji berries to make a beautiful summery bite!
🍽 Equipment
- Muffin Pan and Muffin Cups: A six or twelve-cup pan will work perfectly for this recipe. Grab some paper muffin cups to give your muffins an extra fun look, and they will also prevent sticking.
- Mixer with Whip Attachment: A hand or stand mixer is the perfect mixing tool for these muffins.
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Saucepan
- Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
- Double-Boiler: For melting chocolate.
🙋🏻 FAQ
Yes! This recipe yields about six tasty muffins, but if you are feeding a crowd just double the batch.
Other Recipes for You to Try
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins {three ingredients}
- Apple Yogurt Breakfast Granola
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Granola
- Easy Rice Pudding Breakfast
- Apricot Compote
- Apple Compote
- Biscoff Granola
- Lavender Lemon Muffins
- Red Velvet Cupcakes without Buttermilk
- Baileys Salted Caramel Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Fruit Cake Muffins
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.
📖 Recipe
Dried Apricot Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin mold
- Muffin paper cups
- Hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Saucepan
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Waterbath for melting the chocolate
Ingredients
Muffin sponge
- 5 ¼ tablespoon Butter softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- Pinch Kosher salt
- Lemon zest from half a lemon
- 3 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 Egg
- 6.35 oz Cake flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 5 teaspoon Milk
Caramel Topping
- 2 ½ tablespoon Butter
- 1 ½ tablespoon Brown sugar
- 3 ½ teaspoon Heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon Honey
- ¼ cup Dried apricots
- ½ cup Slivered almonds
- ¼ cup Dark chocolate melted for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C // 356 °F.
- Line 6 molds of a muffin tray with paper cups and set aside.
- Cream 5 ¼ tablespoon Butter, ¼ cup Brown sugar, and Pinch Kosher salt with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.5 ¼ tablespoon Butter, ¼ cup Brown sugar, Pinch Kosher salt
- Add 3 tablespoon Lemon juice, 3 tablespoon Lemon juice, and 1 Egg.Lemon zest, 3 tablespoon Lemon juice, 1 Egg
- Mix 6.35 oz Cake flour and 1 teaspoon Baking powder and add alternately with 5 teaspoon Milk, by the spoonful.6.35 oz Cake flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 5 teaspoon Milk
- Mix everything into a dough.
- Divide the batter between the muffin tins using an egg scoop and pre-bake for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, bring 3 ½ teaspoon Heavy cream, 2 ½ tablespoon Butter, 1 ½ tablespoon Brown sugar, and 2 teaspoon Honey to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for approx. 5 minutes.2 ½ tablespoon Butter, 1 ½ tablespoon Brown sugar, 3 ½ teaspoon Heavy cream, 2 teaspoon Honey
- Remove from the heat.
- Cut ¼ cup Dried apricots into small pieces and add them to the prepared caramel, together with ½ cup Slivered almonds.¼ cup Dried apricots, ½ cup Slivered almonds
- Remove the pre-baked muffins from the oven and spread 1 tablespoon of the almond and apricot caramel mixture on each muffin.
- Bake on the middle shelf until golden brown (approx. 10 minutes).
- In the meantime, melt ¼ cup Dark chocolate in a bain-marie and drizzle over the finished muffins after baking.¼ cup Dark chocolate
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
Sonja says
Absolutely loved these muffins! The crunchy-caramel topping makes them absolutely addictive. Will certainly make them again, as I usually have all the ingredients at home. Super practical for lazy day cravings.
Nora says
Totally! Thank you, Sonja!
JUYALI NORTMAN says
I loved all the ingredients combination, especially the lemon flavor. The crunchy topping makes them so delicious. Definitely making it again!
Nora says
That is awesome, Juyali! Thank you!
Oscar says
Absolutely divine! These dried apricot muffins are like a morning symphony for the taste buds. The caramel sauce adds a luxurious touch, while the slivered almonds provide the perfect crunch. So good.
Nora says
Thank you so much, Oscar! Happy you enjoyed them!
Jacqueline Debono says
I loved the textures and flavours in these muffins. The caramel topping was scrumptious!
Stephanie says
Apricots and almonds are such a lovely pairing in a muffin - then add in the caramel and you have the perfect muffin! We love this recipe in my house and I hope to soon try one of the variations you suggest.
Nora says
Thank you, Stephanie! Let me know which variations you've tested!