Apple & Date Mufffins
There are some mornings, especially on weekends, when you just want something quick — something you can stir together, pop in the oven, and enjoy for the next couple of days. As much as I love dates and find ways to use them in almost everything I bake, apples and dates together are truly a match made in heaven. Dates bring that deep caramel sweetness — especially with a drizzle of date syrup — while apples add a soft, aromatic tenderness that feels like autumn.
I’ve tried being adventurous with other spices, but there’s something so right about keeping it simple — just cinnamon, and nothing more. This recipe is minimal, forgiving, and cozy; you can whisk it together with whatever you have on hand. A bit of good olive oil ties everything together, rounding out the sweetness, while date molasses adds that dark, toffee-like depth I love.
It comes out of the oven tender, golden, and fragrant — the kind of bake you can’t resist slicing into while it’s still warm. with a spoonful of cold labneh or a swipe of cream cheese — simple, comforting, and quietly perfect.
Yields 12 large muffins, or 16–18 medium muffins
Ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (160 g) date syrup
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (145 g) olive oil
• 1 large egg (about 50 g)
• 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 2¾ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
• 2 cups (about 240 g) peeled apples, coarsely chopped into ½-inch pieces (from about 2 large apples)
• 1 cup (150 g) Medjool dates, chopped
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
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Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Coat a muffin tin with nonstick spray and line it with paper liners. Lightly spray the liners as well.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, date syrup, olive oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
3. Combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Bring it all together. Stir half of the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and mix gently with a spatula. Stir in the remaining wet mixture until the batter is smooth.
5. Fold in the fruit. Add the chopped apples and dates, folding until evenly distributed.
6. Fill the muffin tin. Scoop the batter into the liners, filling them all the way to the top. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
7. Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the tops are light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool. Let the muffins rest in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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A Few Notes
• For extra flavor, toss the chopped dates in a teaspoon of flour before folding them in—this keeps them from sinking.
• These muffins stay moist for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
• They freeze beautifully. Just rewarm in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes before serving.
