Coffee-soaked date and walnut muffins
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Coffee-soaked date and walnut muffins
Bitter coffee balances sweet, sticky dates in these nutty muffins. They’re a fitting bake for a Macmillan Coffee Morning. To make them gluten-free, simply swap in gluten-free self-raising flour, adding ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum with the flour.
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Head of Food. She loves the precision and creativity of baking, turning fridge odds-and-ends into a weeknight pasta, and is always bookmarking new restaurants to try. She's happiest hosting friends around a table overflowing with food (and insisting everyone has seconds) or planning holidays around what to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200g medjool dates, halved and pitted
- 75g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g dark brown soft sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 190g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
For the buttercream
- 2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 tbsp milk
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 350g icing sugar
- 30g walnuts, finely chopped
Step by step
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Put the coffee and bicarb in a heatproof bowl, then slowly pour over 150ml of just-boiled water (take care, it will bubble up). Stir to dissolve the coffee. Add the dates and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a muffin tin with paper or silicone cases and preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4.
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Put the dates and coffee soaking liquid in a food processor and whizz to a purée, scraping down the sides of the processor occasionally; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy and combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a spoonful of the flour with the second and third additions. Fold in the remaining flour and the salt, then add the puréed dates. Fold gently to combine, then fold in the walnuts. Divide among the muffin cases.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until risen. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
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For the buttercream, dissolve 2 teaspoons of coffee in 1 tablespoon of just-boiled water, then add the milk. Put the butter in a large bowl and sift over half the icing sugar. Beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Sift over the remaining icing sugar and beat in again. Pour in the coffee and beat until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (half at a time if necessary). Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto each muffin, then sprinkle over the finely chopped walnuts to finish.
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze them uniced.
