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Honey- & Goat Cheese-Filled Fig Muffins
Honey- & Goat Cheese-Filled Fig Muffins
51 Reviews
From: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2010
Sweet figs and a filling of tangy goat cheese give a surprising twist to these hearty breakfast muffins. Make a batch of these on the weekend and enjoy them for breakfast all week long. If you're not a fan of goat cheese, try them with cream cheese instead.
- By: Maria Speck EatingWell Recipe Contributor
Ingredients 12 servings
for serving adjustment
Serving size has been adjusted!
Original recipe yields 12 servings
Nutrition per serving may change if servings are adjusted.
- ¾ cup crumbled soft goat cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufch
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 2 cups white whole-wheat flour (see Note)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- ¾ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
- 1 cup low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1¼ cups chopped dried figs
- 3 tablespoons turbinado (see Note) or granulated sugar
Preparation
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Active
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Ready In
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 12 ( ½-cup) muffin cups with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.
- Thoroughly combine goat cheese (or cream cheese), honey, lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk flour (see Measuring Tip), baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Lightly beat eggs and egg white in a medium bowl; add brown sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and whisk until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in buttermilk and oil until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in figs.
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Add 1 generous teaspoon of the reserved cheese filling to the center of each muffin, and cover with the remaining batter. (The filling should not be visible.) Sprinkle the muffins with sugar.
- Bake the muffins until the edges start to brown and the tops spring back when gently pressed, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap the muffins and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic wrap, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30-45 seconds.
- Ingredient notes: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available in large supermarkets and at natural-foods stores. (Or find it online from bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com.) Store it in the freezer.
- Turbinado sugar is steam-cleaned raw cane sugar. It's coarse-grained and light brown in color, with a slight molasses flavor. Find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets or at natural-foods stores.
- Measuring tip: We use the “spoon and level” method to measure flours. Here's how it is done: Use a spoon to lightly scoop flour from its container into a measuring cup. Use a knife or other straight edge to level the flour with the top of the measuring cup.
- Storage smarts: For long-term freezer storage, wrap your food in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. The plastic will help prevent freezer burn while the foil will help keep off-odors from seeping into the food.
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Per serving: 272 calories; 9 g fat(2 g sat); 3 g fiber; 44 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 8 mcg folate; 35 mg cholesterol; 26 g sugars; 20 g added sugars; 129 IU vitamin A; 1 mg vitamin C; 84 mg calcium; 3 mg iron; 263 mg sodium; 185 mg potassium
- Carbohydrate Servings: 3
- Exchanges: 1 starch, ½ fruit, 1½ other carbohydrates, 1½ fat
Reviews 51
April 05, 2017
By: evan33
These took a little effort, but they were worth it! Yum!
January 15, 2017
By: Nadiago
Delicious!!!
May 19, 2014
By: EatingWell User
Problem Solved
This is one funky muffin! To solve the disappearing cheese act & the sticking to the liner/pan problem, I divided my goat cheese into 12 pieces and froze them first. Poured half the batter into the WELL SPRAYED muffin tins, placed discs of frozen goat cheese directly in the middle of the cups, topped w/ mixture of honey & lemon zest then other half of batter (making sure no cheese is visible). Ended up with a perfect cheese center and muffins that tipped right out of the pan for cooling. All of that said---this is one funky muffin! Don't love it, don't hate it, it's kinda weird. Won't make it again but it was a fun challenge!
April 14, 2014
By: EatingWell User
Love these
Loved these. I used ch+¿vre, and a mix of calamyrna and black mission figs. The seeds made these reminiscent of fig newtons, but the goat cheese made them not as cloyingly sweet as the cookies. Made a second batch last night.
Pros: Balance between tangy and sweet
June 02, 2013
By: EatingWell User
it has som much potential
I was intrigued by these muffins since I really like figs, honey, and goat cheese. I think it could have been better had i used a different kind of cheese. I made the mistake of using feta because it was in my fridge and it's a type of goat cheese. so when the muffins cooled the cheese re-solidified and created a weird consistency. Next I time would add lemon zest to whole batter and use a more neutral, softer cheese, lie a very mild goat cheese. One last thing, the batter (once cooked) was sooo sticky, the paper wouldn't peel off. I'm wondering if I made a mistake somewhere or if it's the tendency of this recipe. it's not a problem i've ever run into.
Pros: figs, lemon zest, not too sweet
Cons: sticks to paper
December 13, 2012
By: EatingWell User
Unrealistic characterization
These are good to look at and sound absolutely delicious, but how ever do you justify calling them for weight loss with 20 gr of added sugar per muffin. What are you thinkin'?
Pros: beautiful and probably delish
Cons: pretty high sugar, unhealthy and not for weight loss
June 27, 2012
By: EatingWell User
Beautiful looking, nice tasting
The muffins are GORGEOUS. Just like the photo. I notice other readers commented on their goat cheese did not show up as expected. The key is to reserve the goat cheese & honey and combine all other ingredients. Then, after you have poured most of the batter in the muffin tins, ball up the goat cheese a little larger than a marble and stick it down in the middle of each muffin. Top with just enough batter to cover the cheese. I will in the future add some spices, however; perhaps some cinnamon or all spice. Like I said, very pretty and very fun, but just not as tantalizing a taste as I was looking for. Great recipe to build on though.
P.S. If you do not have buttermilk, combine 1 T lemon juice in a 1 Cup measuring cup, fill with milk, and let set for 5 min.
Pros: Gorgeous presentation to impress, unique flavor combination
Cons: Not extremely full flavored
June 23, 2012
By: EatingWell User
I made these and substituted with fat-free cream cheese, all egg whites, and applesauce instead of oil. They still turned out good, but healthier and probably didn't taste as good as the fattier version would...but still good enough for me. :-) Only thing I didn't like was that the cream cheese melted throughout the muffin and was hard to be found.
June 18, 2012
By: EatingWell User
Eh, these need a little altering
After following this recipe to a t, these muffins are okay. The goat cheese filling is not anywhere as creamy as the photo indicates, which was disappointing. Great concept, but not impressed with the end results.
