Beautifully spiced Date Muffins with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom, covered in an irresistible coffee glaze
Not just a pretty drizzle
Yes, it’s time for another muffin recipe. This one has a little more oomph….. because just look at that irresistible glistening drizzle from the glaze. I usually love a simple muffin with no icing, but when they look this good, I just want to grab one and lick the glaze off.
The runny coffee glaze makes these Date Muffins quite special, but it’s more than that. These muffins have fresh Medjool dates, with loads of spices mixed in. We’re talking about cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom, so as you would imagine, they smelled amazing when they were baking in the oven.
Tucking into these warm Spiced Date Muffins is like having chai tea and coffee, but in food form.
These Date Muffins have a few extra steps prep-wise and the ingredients list may look long, but like most muffins, they’re quite simple to make. There’s no need for a hand or stand mixer, everything comes together with hand mixing.
What we’ll get are moist, aromatic and tasty muffins. These muffins are best served warm whilst the glaze hasn’t fully set. A sweet treat that hits the spot on those cooler days.
Spiced Date Muffins with coffee glaze
Dates are my favourite way of making desserts sweet naturally because they have a caramel flavour. They’re not only tasty, but they’re also highly nutritious and low in GI, so they’re unlikely to cause blood sugar spikes. I’ve seen some famous athletes have them as snacks during their break.
However, in saying this, these muffins still have brown sugar and a sugar glaze, so they’re a little naughty. But that’s not going to stop me from biting into one of these beauties! Dates and spices are good for our health, so I’m going to just focus on that.
I used fresh Medjool dates, which are larger and more expensive than regular dates. Regular or dried dates would also work in these muffins, and they’ll still be delicious.
To soften the dates prior to adding them to the batter, we need to soak them in boiling water with baking soda. The date mixture then forms part of the wet ingredients. This is one of the extra steps in making these muffins, but it’s straightforward.
The glaze is also simple to prepare. We just mix the coffee powder in hot milk, then stir it into the icing sugar. Getting the right consistency of the glaze may be a little tricky, but it’s easy to fix. We’re looking for a thick glaze, but thin enough to drizzle. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk and if it’s too runny, add some icing sugar.
Beautiful desserts with coffee and dates:
Quick Tiramisu Cake
Coffee Kahlúa Panna Cotta
Sticky date pudding
Coffee Cream Agar Jelly
Ingredients for Date Muffins
Dates – I used fresh Medjool dates, which are larger and more expensive than regular dates. Supermarkets usually stock Medjool dates in the chilled area near the fruits and vegetables. Regular or dried dates would also work in these muffins and they’ll still be delicious.
Plain or All purpose flour doesn’t have any leavening (raising agents) such as baking powder mixed in.
Buttermilk is fermented milk that is thick in consistency and sour in taste. No buttermilk in your fridge? Make 1/2 cup of buttermilk substitute by mixing 1/2 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon in a jug/bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, the milk should thicken slightly. Give it a quick stir before using.
Icing sugar (powdered sugar, confectionary sugar) – Icing sugar usually comes in two forms: icing sugar mixture and pure icing sugar. Icing sugar mixture is softer than pure icing sugar because there’s starch or flour added to it. For this recipe, you could use either.
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How to make Date Muffins
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat oven to 190°C (370°F) or 170°C (340°F) for fan-forced ovens. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and spray the inside of the cases with oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.
For the dates – Place the dates and baking soda in a small bowl, then pour in the boiling water. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes to allow the dates to soften.
For the wet ingredients – Place all the wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, then add the date mixture. Whisk to combine until the mixture looks smooth.
For the dry ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the flour mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold the mixture to combine just until there are no dry bits showing. Don’t over-mix the batter as this will make tough muffins. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins, then bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The muffins are done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Remove the muffins from the tin, and place them on a cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
For the coffee glaze – Place the icing sugar in a small bowl and dissolve the coffee powder in the hot milk. Pour half of the milk over the sugar, then mix well. Slowly pour more milk whilst mixing until the glaze is shiny, thick but a little runny. You may need to add a little more milk if the glaze is too thick or more icing sugar if it’s too runny. Spoon the glaze over the warm muffins. The glaze will harden once it’s at room temperature.
Leftovers – Allow the muffin to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them into an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. If humid, store them in the fridge.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Date Muffins (Spiced with coffee glaze)
Video
Ingredients
FOR THE DATES
- 200 gm fresh Medjool dates (seeded and roughly chopped) (NOTE 1)
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- ½ tsp baking soda
FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 cup plain / all purpose flour (NOTE 2)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
FOR THE WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
- ½ cup buttermilk (NOTE 3)
FOR THE COFFEE GLAZE
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 tbsp hot milk (may need more or less)
- 1 cup icing sugar (NOTE 4)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C (370°F) or 170°C (340°F) for fan-forced ovens. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and spray the inside of the cases with oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.For the dates – Place the dates and baking soda in a small bowl, then pour in the boiling water. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes to allow the dates to soften.
- For the wet ingredients – Place all the wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, then add the date mixture. Whisk to combine until the mixture looks smooth.
- For the dry ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- Make a well in the flour mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold the mixture to combine just until there are no dry bits showing. Don't over-mix the batter as this will make tough muffins. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins, then bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The muffins are done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.Remove the muffins from the tin, and place them on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- For the coffee glaze – Place the icing sugar in a small bowl and dissolve the coffee powder in the hot milk. Pour half of the milk over the sugar, then mix well. Slowly pour more milk whilst mixing until the glaze is shiny, thick but a little runny. You may need to add a little more milk if the glaze is too thick or more icing sugar if it's too runny. Spoon the glaze over the warm muffins. The glaze will harden once it's at room temperature.
