Apricot & blueberry muffins

There’s something special about the combination of sweet apricots and juicy blueberries in a muffin. They both complement each other in flavour. These muffins are soft, tender, and bursting with fruity goodness. They make a great breakfast on the go or a delicious afternoon snack. Plus, they’re easy to whip up with simple pantry ingredients.

Many years ago I worked for a large American baking company for 9 years, and muffins were one of our main product lines. We had all manner of muffins literally on tap in our offices all the time. initially, I was involved with selling them and then marketing them, and I worked closely with the R&D department to develop new variants to take to market. This involved a lot of muffin eating.

A good blueberry muffin is my favourite, and I have been wanting to make a batch for a while. I also had a lot of frozen berries in my freezer.

I spotted a punnet of imported, out-of-season apricots in the supermarket the other day, and feeling Like I was committing a very bad food crime, I decided to buy them anyway. It’s mid-winter in Cape Town and I longed to sink my teeth into the flesh of some beautiful, summery stone fruit. I had also never tasted a miniature apricot before, so the temptation was all too much.

These apricots had red flesh, so was even more intrigued. I knew that I wanted to add them to my blueberry muffins, but would need to poach them first.

My initial idea was to poach them whole, remove the pip, and then stuff a whole apricot into each muffin which would form a gorgeous fruity centre. Unfortunately, the flesh clung to the pip and I was only able to pry chunks of it off which I then stirred into the batter at the end with the blueberries. This worked perfectly. You could also use about 1 heaped cup of freshly pipped and sliced apricots as a substitute for these baby ones.

I liked the slight acidity of the apricots with the blueberries. Orange and blueberry go well together as I recently discovered with my blueberry and orange trifles.

To poach the apricots simply add them to a small pot with a cup of water and 3 tablespoons of fructose. According to Heston Blumenthal, fructose is better to cook the fruit in. You need less of it, and I find it less sweet. If you are using sugar add 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons. Bring the pot to a boil with the lid on and allow it to simmer for about 8 minutes. Cool and drain.

Alternatively, you can leave the apricots out completely and just increase the amount of blueberries by 1 cup.

Storage Instructions for Blueberry Muffins

Keep your blueberry muffins fresh with these easy storage tips:

Room Temperature (1–2 Days)

• Store muffins in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
• Keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Refrigerator (Up to 1 Week)

• Place muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag to prevent them from drying out.
• Let them come to room temperature or warm slightly before serving for the best taste.

Freezer (Up to 3 Months)

• Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or foil.
• Place wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container.
• To reheat, microwave for 20–30 seconds or bake at 160°C (320°F) for 10 minutes.

A few muffin recipes you might like:

Orange & pecan muffins (one of my all-time favourite muffin recipes)

The best morning glory muffins

The best easy plum muffins

Blueberry muffins with oats and almonds

Apple & cinnamon muffins

Recipe to make the muffins | Make 12 large muffins

Apricot & blueberry muffins

Delicious and easy apricot & blueberry muffin recipe. 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 125 grams butter (1 stick) room temperature
• 2 free-range eggs large – at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk (125ml) 125ml
• 1 cup sugar about 170g
• 1 3/4 cup flour 220g
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups Fresh lueberries fresh or frozen (about 250g)
• 1 cup apricots pipped and sliced in half (you will need about 1/2 an apricot per muffin)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a 12-muffin baking pan with paper liners. Poach apricots as per the instructions further above, drain and cool (Make the jelly with the leftover juice).
• Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time ensuring that they are well mixed before adding the next one. Beat further until fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder.
• Add half the milk to the mix and half the flour and briefly mix until combined. Add the remaining milk and flour and mix. Do not over-mix
• By hand stir the fruit through the mix.
• Using an ice cream scoop to ensure uniform quantities, scoop out a dollop into each muffin case
• Bake for 25 – 30 minutes and until they are well-risen, golden brown and springy to the touch

Notes

Storage Instructions for Blueberry Muffins

Keep your blueberry muffins fresh with these easy storage tips:

Room Temperature (1–2 Days)

• Store muffins in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture.
• Keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Refrigerator (Up to 1 Week)

• Place muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag to prevent them from drying out.
• Let them come to room temperature or warm slightly before serving for the best taste.

Freezer (Up to 3 Months)

• Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or foil.
• Place wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container.
• To reheat, microwave for 20–30 seconds or bake at 160°C (320°F) for 10 minutes.

Author: Sam Linsell

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