Cinnamon date muffins

Cinnamon date muffins that smell and taste like cinnamon buns, but better. 

Have I grabbed your attention yet? 

 

 

What if I told you they’re impossibly fluffy and soft inside and beautifully crunchy on top due to the raw sugar sprinkled over them before cooking? Now? Are you hooked? Oh, did I mention you don’t need any kind of mixer to make them? You just need a couple of bowls, a spatula and a whisk.

 

I’ve made these muffins more times than I can count over the last few years and they have always been devoured in no time. They’re perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, or for a sweet breakfast when you need to get out the door as fast as you can.

 

They’re a bit on the sweet side, yes, due to the presence of both dates and sugar, but they are totally worth it. The cinnamon aroma and flavor is out of this world. The chewy bits inside from the chopped up dates is a joyful surprise with every bite, and they last a good few days without losing any of their flavor or texture, and frankly, they become even more irresistible.

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon date muffins

The addition of oil in cakes and muffins makes them fluffier and more moist, that’s why I love adding oil in my bakes.

In this recipe, you can use a combination of olive oil (50 ml) and sunflower oil (75 ml), like I did, or you can use only olive oil (125 ml) or only sunflower oil (125 ml). The choice is yours.

I use Medjool dates but I have also used Sukari dates in the past. Both these types of dates are juicy, fresh and soft and have a caramel flavor that works perfectly in these muffins.

 

 

Yield: 12 muffins (on the big side)

Special equipment: 12-cup cupcake/muffin pan, paper liners

 

Ingredients

375 g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

210 g raw cane sugar

1 large egg

75 ml sunflower oil

50 ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

180 ml milk 2% fat

460 g Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped (400 g net weight)

 

for sprinkling on top

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp Demerara sugar

 

 

Preparation

Line your cupcake pan with paper liners.
Preheat your oven to 180°C.

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar) and mix with a spatula.

In another bowl, medium-sized, add the wet ingredients (egg, two kinds of oil, vanilla extract, milk) and whisk well to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold with a spatula.

Add the chopped dates and mix until just combined. The dates may be sticking to one another but you need to persevere so they are almost equally dispersed throughout the muffin mixture without however overmixing the muffin batter.

Empty the mixture in the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and Demerara sugar, and sprinkle the top of the 12 muffins.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Once the muffins have slightly cooled, remove them carefully from the pan and onto the wire rack to cool completely. You can certainly eat them warm. They are utterly delicious straight out of the oven.

They keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.

You can also freeze them for a month. Just let them cool completely and then wrap them well with plastic wrap. Then place them in a freezer bag and into the freezer.

Thaw them in the fridge before eating or you can microwave them.