Fruit and Nut Muffins
Easy Breakfast Muffins Packed with Dried Fruits and Nuts
These fruit and nut muffins are your cozy morning wrapped in a muffin wrapper. 💛 Spiced with warming cinnamon and aromatic ground vanilla, gently sweetened with raw cane sugar, and generously filled with juicy dried apricots, figs, cranberries, and finely ground nuts, they bring all the fruit bread flavors you love into soft, golden muffins. They’re moist, flavorful, and the perfect way to warm up a chilly morning.
Craving something fruity, cozy, and not too sweet to start your day?
These muffins are inspired by my go-to fruit bread recipe, but instead of baking a full loaf for an hour, we’re going for a quicker, muffin-sized version that’s ready in just about 20 minutes. They’re easy to grab, easy to love, and make a great companion to your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
If breakfast bakes make your heart happy, take a peek at my breakfast and brunch recipe collection. You’ll also love my fruit cake muffins if you’re looking for a nut-free option, or my easy Biscoff granola for a spiced, crunchy breakfast treat.
This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover holiday ingredients. Got some dried fruit, a scoop of ground nuts, or the last of your cinnamon stash? Toss them in. It’s flexible, forgiving, and full of flavor.
No mixer needed here. Just one bowl, a wooden spoon, and a muffin tin. These muffins are here to make your kitchen smell amazing and your mornings feel special, even when life is busy.
So let’s bake together. Preheat your oven, grab those cozy spices, and get ready for a batch of muffins that taste like a warm hug. 💛
🥘 Ingredients
- Dried apricots, figs, and cranberries
- These bring a beautiful balance of natural sweetness and chewy texture to the muffins. Be sure to chop the apricots and figs into small pieces so they mix evenly throughout the batter.
- Ground nuts
- These add richness and a nutty depth to the muffins without changing the texture too much. I used finely ground nuts for this recipe (you can use almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts—whatever you have on hand).
Want a little crunch? You can also stir in a handful of roughly chopped mixed nuts along with the fruit for extra texture.
- Soft butter
- Baking powder
- Ground vanilla
- Raw cane sugar
- This unrefined sugar adds gentle sweetness and a warm, slightly caramel flavor that pairs beautifully with the dried fruit and spices.
- Eggs
- Room temperature eggs work best here.
- Plain flour
- Regular all-purpose flour gives structure and softness. Nothing fancy needed!
- Milk
- Whole milk gives the richest result, but any milk will work.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven
Set your oven to 170°C (338°F) and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup with butter or baking spray.
Step 2: Prepare your fruit
Chop the dried apricots and figs into small pieces so they’re evenly distributed in the batter. Set them aside with the dried cranberries.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the soft butter and raw cane sugar together until light and fluffy. This helps create a lovely texture in your muffins.
Step 4: Add the eggs
Crack in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Your batter should look smooth and slightly thick at this point.
Step 5: Stir in milk, spices, and ground nuts
Add the milk, ground cinnamon, ground vanilla, and ground nuts to the mixture. Give everything a good stir until just combined.
Step 6: Mix in the flour and baking powder
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Gradually add the dry mix to your wet ingredients, stirring just until there are no visible streaks of flour. Be gentle—overmixing can lead to tough muffins.
Step 7: Fold in the dried fruit
Add your chopped apricots, figs, and cranberries to the batter and fold them in. Make sure they’re evenly spread throughout the mixture.
Step 8: Fill your muffin tin
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters full.
Step 9: Bake
Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 25–30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin—it should come out clean.
Step 10: Cool and enjoy
Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Or enjoy one warm with a mug of coffee or tea—you’ve earned it. 💛
🌡️ Storage
These muffins keep wonderfully for a few days, making them ideal for meal prep or make-ahead breakfasts.
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep them in a cool, dry place (not near the oven or heater).
- Freezer-friendly: Freeze individually wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or pop one in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds to enjoy warm.
- Avoid refrigeration: It tends to dry them out faster. Stick to room temp or the freezer for best results.
💭 Top tips
- Chop the fruit finely. This makes sure every bite has a bit of everything and helps prevent large chunks from sinking to the bottom of your muffins.
- Use ground nuts for subtle flavor and moisture. Ground nuts melt into the batter and give a lovely texture. If you want more crunch, feel free to add a handful of chopped mixed nuts too.
- Don’t overmix. Once you add the flour, stir gently. Overmixing can make the muffins dense instead of light and fluffy.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Eggs, milk, and butter blend better when they’re not cold. This helps create a smooth batter and even bake.
- Check your baking powder. If it’s older than six months, it may not be as effective. Fresh baking powder makes all the difference for a good rise!
🍽 Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Wooden spoon or hand mixer
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Muffin liners or baking spray
- Wire rack for cooling
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sharp knife and cutting board (for chopping fruit)
Other Recipes for You to Try
- Filled coconut muffins
- Orange muffins
- Dried Apricot Muffins
- Fruit Cake Muffins {small batch}
- 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Lavender Lemon Muffins
- Red Velvet Cupcakes without Buttermilk
- How to make Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4th of July Cupcakes
- Baileys Salted Caramel Cupcakes
- How to make fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Ricotta
now available!
My new workbook is here!
Brewing Coffee for Milk Drinks
How to adapt your favorite brews for milk & creamers — without an espresso machine!
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.
Fruit and Nut Muffins
Equipment
- Wooden spoon or hand mixer
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Muffin liners or baking spray
- Wire rack
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried apricots chopped
- ¾ cup Dried figs chopped
- ½ cup Dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup Soft butter
- ½ cup Raw cane sugar
- 2 medium Eggs
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground vanilla
- 1 cup Ground nuts e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts
- 1 ⅔ cups Plain flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease.
- Chop 1 cup Dried apricots, ¾ cup Dried figs, and ½ cup Dried cranberries into small pieces for even distribution. Set aside.1 cup Dried apricots, ¾ cup Dried figs, ½ cup Dried cranberries
- In a large bowl, cream ⅓ cup Soft butter and ½ cup Raw cane sugar until light and fluffy.⅓ cup Soft butter, ½ cup Raw cane sugar
- Add 2 medium Eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.2 medium Eggs
- Stir in ½ cup Milk, 1 tsp Ground cinnamon, 1 tsp Ground vanilla, and 1 cup Ground nuts.½ cup Milk, 1 tsp Ground cinnamon, 1 tsp Ground vanilla, 1 cup Ground nuts
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ⅔ cups Plain flour and 2 tsp Baking powder. Gradually add to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined.1 ⅔ cups Plain flour, 2 tsp Baking powder
- Fold in the chopped dried fruit.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
⛑️ 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.
These were so easy to make and delicious! My family gobbled them up for breakfast!
That is so wonderful to hear, Liz! Thank you!
What a great idea to have all the flavors of fruit bread in muffin form! Makes it so quick to whip up a batch and enjoy with some nice cold butter.
Great idea, Skylar! Thank you!
They came out so wonderfully moist and packed with flavor! Definitely a muffin recipe I’ll keep in rotation.
That’s awesome! Thank you, Esme!
These muffins came out beautifully moist and packed with flavor. The fruit and nut combo was a great touch and perfect for a cozy treat.
That is wonderful to hear, Matt! Thank you!