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.

🍽 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)

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📖 Recipe

Fruit and Nut Muffins

Nora

A cozy, fruit-filled muffin perfect for chilly mornings. Sweetened with raw cane sugar, spiced with cinnamon and ground vanilla, and packed with dried fruit and ground nuts - these muffins are everything you love about fruit bread, in a quick-bake version.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 24 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine European

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 298 kcal

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Wooden spoon or hand mixer
• 12-cup muffin tin
• Muffin liners or baking spray
• Wire rack
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 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 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground vanilla
• 1 cup Ground nuts e.g. almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts
• 1 ⅔ cups Plain flour
• 2 teaspoon 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 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ground vanilla, and 1 cup Ground nuts.
  ½ cup Milk, 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ground vanilla, 1 cup Ground nuts
• In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ⅔ cups Plain flour and 2 teaspoon Baking powder. Gradually add to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
  1 ⅔ cups Plain flour, 2 teaspoon 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

You can add a handful of roughly chopped mixed nuts for extra crunch if you like.

These muffins freeze beautifully. Wrap individually and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

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Keyword brunch muffins, cozy baking, dried fruit muffins, fruit muffins, holiday breakfast

Like this recipe?Mention @combinegoodflavors or tag #combinegoodflavors!

Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

Serving: 1Muffin | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 606IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 2mg

⛑️ 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.