Fruit Nut Muffins

Eat these delicious fruit nut muffins hot out of the oven with a big dollop of fresh butter melted into them. Moist fruit and crunchy nuts make every bite of these muffins a tasty treat.

This post was updated on April 6, 2020.

These fruit nut muffins are a variation on the mellow muffins theme, but while mellow muffins are good with soups, these sweet muffins are best for breakfast or snacks.

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Ingredients

If you do any baking, you probably have these basic ingredients on hand. If not, there’s nothing special in this list. Make a quick trip to the grocery store and you’ll have everything you need in a jiffy.

• All-purpose flour – use this flour to ensure that the muffins rise and are not too dense.
• Whole wheat flour – adds whole grain goodness to the recipe.
• Baking powder, baking soda, and salt – ensure that the muffins rise.
• Egg – binds the dry ingredients.
• Buttermilk – adds moisture and, along with the baking soda, helps the muffins rise.
• Honey – adds a bit of sweetness.
• Vegetable shortening – helps give the muffins a crumbly texture. This article has some interesting info about shortening.

The dried fruit and fresh nuts are the special, not so secret ingredients. Here’s some info about some dried fruits and nuts.

• Cranberries – are a great fruit for muffins anytime, but they are perfect around Christmas time.
• Blueberries – not as commonly found as cranberries or raisins, but dried blueberries are a great change of pace from other dried fruit.
• Dates – are sweeter than most other dried fruits.
• Currants – similar to raisins but with a more delicate flavor. Also known as Zante currants.
• Raisins – a basic, readily available dried fruit.
• Walnuts – are a good source of vitamin E.
• Pecans – use any of the many varieties are available.
• Almonds – slivered almonds work best in this recipe.

We bought a big container of dates recently, so I diced up some of those and made date walnut muffins. I’ve also made them with dried blueberries, cranberries, and raisins. Pick whatever you like. There’s no rule that says you can’t make combo muffins. Go crazy and make cranberry/blueberry fruit nut muffins. And if you can’t decide between pecans and walnuts, toss a little of both in.

Making Fruit Nut Muffins

Step 1 – Setup

• Set your oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
• Make sure all of the ingredients and supplies are on the counter within easy reach.
• You’ll need measuring cups, measuring spoons, a big stirring spoon, a spatula, a large mixing bowl, medium mixing bowl, a whisk, and a muffin pan.

Step 2 – Make the Muffin Dough

• Measure the all-purpose flour and the whole wheat flour, and then sift them into a large mixing bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Stir the dry ingredients to blend them.
• Put the buttermilk, honey, and egg into a medium-sized bowl and lightly whisk the wet ingredients.
• Add these three wet ingredients to the dry mixture.
• Stir it up a bit and then stir in the melted shortening.
• Stir in the dried fruit and nuts.

Step 3 – Put the Dough in the Muffin Cups

• If you don’t have a non-stick muffin pan, you’ll need to coat each muffin cup with some spray-on oil, shortening, or butter.
• Alternatively, you can use paper muffin cup liners.
• Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Fill each cup just below the brim to leave room for the muffins to rise as they bake.

Step 4 – Bake the Fruit Nut Muffins

• Put the muffin pan in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.
• Check to see if they’re nice and brown on top. If not, pop them back in and give them three-to-four more minutes.

As these fruit nut muffins bake, they fill the house with a wonderful fresh-baked smell. Be sure to have a plate ready so you can eat one (or two) right away. Of course, they’re great right out of the oven, but you can also slice them and toast them the next day or put some in the freezer for longer storage.

Expert Tips for Making Fruit Nut Muffins

• The recipe calls for some whole-wheat flour (1/3 of the total flour amount) but you can just use two cups of all-purpose flour if you prefer.
• If you don’t have any honey, you can use granulated sugar or brown sugar.
• You can use regular milk, but the buttermilk and the baking soda help these muffins rise. If you do use regular milk, skip the baking soda.
• For a quicker prep-time, use paper muffin cup liners.
• Freeze some of these muffins to enjoy later.