Welcome to the first Monday of FALL! Yippee!
I promise to tone down the fall-inspired giddiness in a couple of days (weeks?), but I’m afraid you’ll just have to bare with me until then. This is by far my favourite time of the year, and I plan on milking it for all it’s worth. That and I’ll use pretty much any excuse to get ridiculously excited and bust out the happy dance 
But seriously, what’s not to love?! The sights, the sounds, the smells… the feelings, the fashion, the FOOD…
Oh, the food… We’re not even going to talk about the thing I’ve got going on with kabocha right now – I like to maintain at least a certain level of dignity, and opening up about my squash obsession would not do me any favours. Instead we’re going to talk about figs [and goat cheese, and muffins], and how the combination of those three things turns into something magical.
I know it sounds like a bit of an odd combination, but here’s how it all came into being… I was browsing the blog world like always –> I came across a handful of fig and goat cheese recipes –> I was intrigued –> I remembered I don’t like fresh figs –> I remembered I do like dried ones –> I didn’t think dried figs would work on pizza or in salad –> I wanted something doughy –> I felt like baking –> I figured I should step away from the pumpkin –> Lightbulb!
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fig and goat cheese honey muffins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 4 oz. soft goat cheese
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. grated orange zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 oz. dried figs, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF and lightly oil a muffin tray, or line it with 12 paper/silicone liners.
- In a small bowl, prepare the filling by combining goat cheese, honey, and orange zest. Stir until fully combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine egg, oil, applesauce, honey, and Greek yogurt. Stir until fully combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in figs.
- With a spoon, spoon batter into muffin tins until about halfway full. Add 1 tsp. filling to each tin, and cover with more muffin batter. Make sure the cheese filling is fully covered.
- Bake muffins for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
- When finished, allow to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
A few things worth mentioning. First, these muffins are wonderfully doughy – they have a consistency akin to that of a sticky bun and feel almost like a bread as opposed to a muffin…
The dough itself tastes faintly of honey and is only subtly sweet, complimenting the natural sweetness of the figs and making it stand out that much more. The saltiness of the goat cheese enhances that sweetness even further, while simultaneously doing what cheese does best – making things ooey, gooey, and all-together delicious. But don’t take my word for it – give these a try the next time the baking bug bites. It is, after all, the perfect season for that 😀
Um you had me at goat cheese, like seriously.
So I didn’t actually realize there was a filling until I read the recipe, and now I want these even more.
They sound absolutely delightful, and the pictures are fantastic. Nectar of the gods indeed. So when can I come over?! I should be able to make it by 6 p.m.
6 PM works for me. I’ll eve put on some kabocha…
These sound yummy!! I love muffins. I want to carve pumpkins!! I didn’t get to last year 🙁 roasting pumpkin seeds are the best part!
so ive never even had a fig but I see lots of recipes using them! I need to get some to at least try and If I like them I will def make these muffins, omg!
I’d recommend starting with dried ones – the fresh ones can be really disappointing if you get a bad batch… which is pretty common!
You can never go wrong with figs and goats cheese, such a classic!
I have been salivating over that pic on instagram all weekend! Thank you for finally posting the recipe so I can try them! Totally agree with you about figs, too: fresh are eh, dried are delicious!
favorite fall flavor- toss up between a nice ripe kabocha squash & cardamon spice (usually I just eat them together!) and this fall I am doing some serious berry picking. I have amassed about 4 gallons of wild cranberries so far but the 5 hours of squatting took a toll on my knees so I don’t know how much more of that I will do 🙂 it is SO going to be worth it to have Alaskan cranberries all winter though!
I gotta make these. As much as I love all things pumpkin and kabocha, a little change is good this time of year! LOVE the idea of turning these flavors into muffins!! Thanks for sharing lovely!
xox
These just LOOK goat cheese-creamy decadent. Can’t wait to try them!!
Favorite fall spice is cinnamon… but that’s my favorite any time spice. SO if I have to choose another… smoked paprika because it’s like chili.
I honestly couldn’t imagine not eating cinnamon year-round, but it is technically a fall flavour 😉
I have been waiting for this recipe since you teased us with it last week! These sound so good! I love everything about fall with all the colors, foods, pumpkin, hot tea, warm blankets. I mean it’s just such a comforting season and fig muffins will fit into the season perfectly.
Pumpkin everythinnnnng! I always love cinnamon no matter what season it is, so I can’t say I can count it! I really, really want to go apple picking this fall too! Or go to a fall festival with fresh apple cider and pumpkins and everything cute while wearing a big sweater, boots, and gloves! 😀 Squeeeeel! I just love this weather.
These sound heavenly!!
My favorite fall flavor is definitely pumpkin…especially when mixed with AB!!
YES PLEASE!!! These look amazing! I’m thinking they will be a huge hit at my next brunch potluck!
These sound really, really good- and so creative and different too! My mouth is watering. I think I’ve only had figs once. On pizza, maybe? I can’t remember haha.
This fall I want to go to a local farm and get delicious produce and some little pumpkins to decorate my apartment!
EeeEE! I can’t wait to pick up some teeny, tiny pumpkins. I would have gotten some already, but I was worried they wouldn’t last until Halloween.
holy moly these look great!
It was funny when my boyfriend work up this morning he looked at me and said, It’s fall!
Like a kid on Christmas… only fall. He’s ready to decorate for halloween
Oh wow these look amazing! I’ve always been intimidated to try cooking with figs, but this might be the recipe to make me try it out!
I love the looks of this recipe!! Now I need to go back to the store for goat cheese and dried figs! I’m so excited about Fall too. My favorite flavor is pumpkin spice and food would have to be a sweet potato chili or soup.
So first of all, your thought process is hilarious. And basically sounds like the way that my brain works.
Second, these look amazing! Goat cheese + honey is an amazing combination, and then you throw dried figs in there? Amazing. I’d agree with your favourite fall spice, and flavour…kabocha may be winning out for me too…although pumpkin makes me pretty happy, too.
I was going to say pumpkin, buuuuuut I’ve never actually tried roasting one, and that’s become my favourite way to eat these squashes. Can you do that?! I mean… probably. Heck, I used to think squashes were just for decoration… but in my mind, pumpkins are just for carving 😆
These look amazing! Goat cheese is my all time favorite too and I love a muffin. You are a genius 🙂
My favorite fall spice is apple pie spice. I love baking once the cooler weather gets here. And it makes the whole house smell wonderful!
These sound a-bloody-mazing! I’m with you on Team Dried Figs. (Yesterday I actually had the most delicious fresh fig dipped in chocolate at a restaurant, but whenever I buy some for myself they’re expensive but rather flavorless. Bad luck.) They’re my favorite travel snack, because they’re like fig newtons (which I can’t eat anymore) but without the boring cookie bit!
Do you think I could make these gorgeous muffins with tofu instead of goat’s cheese? I don’t do most dairy products, but I love love love the flavor combo you’ve got going here. I’d already have to sub g/f flour, so maybe I’ll just tinker with the ingredients and see how it goes. Gotta say, I’m super excited that you called them “doughy” because I haven’t had a treat which could be described with that particular lovely adjective in way too long. I guess my baking got lazy. Thanks for the recipe!
I hear ya on the fresh figs – always disappointing 🙁 And I imagine you could sub in tofu, but you’d be missing out on the tang 😕 Even without the cheese, though, the the muffins themselves are super delicious, especially if you’re in the mood for a doughy treat 🙂 And I just used waaaay too many smilies in this comment 😯
I need that sad crying emoji right now. I can’t find figs. Anywhere. It’s a travesty and now I can’t make these muffins. *crying* *pounding fist on kitchen counter*
These muffins look insanely delish! What a brilliant idea to combine these two flavors in -a muffin!!!!
Brilliant!
Oh – and I love that there’s no refined sugar in your recipe 🙂
Fav Fall Flavor would be – pumpkin, I got some pumpkin butter from Trader Joes thats just off the wall good!
And fall season for me means corn mazes! Oh yeah!
Happy Monday Lady!
Oh my gosh these look awesome! No need to tone down the fall obsession, we’re all right there with you! I got giddy yesterday putting on my tall boots for the first time this season!
I still haven’t brought the boots out of hiding, but I can.not.WAIT. Dressing in the fall is so much easier than dressing in the summer. You don’t have to worry about being too hot outside and too cold inside (silly AC).
I love butternut squash, sweet potatoes and apples…while I eat them year round, the squash is definitely best this time of year..oh, and I can’t wait to make my chocolate covered caramel apples!
Don’t stop the fall giddiness any time soon – I’ll need it once the days get darker and I’m finding myself longing for summer again!
Even though I already did it this weekend I want to go on more hikes/walks in the woods in fall. That and the lazy version of apple picking at my parents’ garden, collecting beautiful leaves and chestnuts to decorate my apartment plus lots of tea dates with friends would be on my fall bucket list.
I’d have to steal your favourite spice and food so I’ll add apples in here, too. It’s insane how fast I go through cinnamon … I just bought a new package and will try to keep track of how long it lasts me. I’m admittedly a little afraid of the result 😉 …
Happy Monday, Amanda!
I knew I had to have these the moment I saw a picture pop up on your IG! Will definitely be making these soon!
Be still my heart. Figs, goat cheese & honey = deadly combo. Well done, friend.
Fav fall flavours are cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, butternut/kabocha squash and apples. As far as I know, we don’t have apple picking down south. The only tree I know of is in Courts Moms backyard and I have major applesauce plans coming up. Can’t wait!
I’m not even sure we have a good apple picking season up here… My parents have a tree, but theirs is all sorts of sour 😥 Fun to pick, not fun to eat. BUT! I’m headed to BC this week, so I hope to gorge myself on fruit while I’m there.
No need to tone down the fall giddiness! As soon as Halloween’s over, that’s my cue to start the Christmas giddiness, so I daresay a little for fall never hurt anyone. 🙂 I’ve actually never had figs, fresh or dried…therefore you should send some of these my way so I can get the full experience, yes? 😉
Love this flavor combo! They look so fluffy. My fave fall spice is also cinnamon… I put that shi*t on everything!
These look decadent and so classy, Amanda! I bet these would be amazing as party food! Way to go! My favorite fall flavor is a combination of apples and cinnamon, which to me is just pure comfort! One thing I want to do this fall is go see the aspen leaves change in Aspen (I live about four hours away and I used to do that in high school–drive up and stay for a weekend, but I at least want to go for a day this fall!) oh and sit by a fire and play games/watch movies.
Seeing the mountains in fall has been something that I’ve wanted to do forever! I live about a 3 hour drive away, and although I’ve seen them plenty in the summer and winter, never in the fall. I bet they must be absolutely breathtaking.
They are! And I’d say totally worth it if you can find the time to go see them! They also make for the most beautiful pictures 🙂
This recipe is perfect. Goat cheese is my favorite type of cheese and I could honestly eat that with everything. I’m glad you made this recipe and in my funemployment it is one I’ll be making.
AMAZING muffins – can’t beat succulent dried figs mixed with tangy goat cheese.
Favorite flavor of fall = cinnamon (I always associate it with fall for some reason). This fall I want to rake leaves.
I LOVE this muffin recipe! What a fabulous combination! Fig, goat cheese and honey happen to be a few of my favorite things!
My favorite fall flavors are cinnamon and pumpkin. 🙂
OMG you nailed it with this recipe…these sound SO delicious (and innovative), Amanda! It almost reminds me of this spectacular “Goat Cheese & Honey” cheesecake I ate a few years ago which was all kinds of amazing! Let’s go apple picking together? It’s definitely on my fall bucket list…or would be if fall existed in Mumbai! I can only imagine how delicious applesauce from freshly picked apples would taste! As for favorite flavors, it’s a combo of cinnamon-anything, apples & plenty of butternut squash!
If it makes you feel any better, we only really get a few weeks of good fall weather around here. After that, all the trees lose their leaves and the snow starts threatening to show. But those couple of weeks? Pure bliss 😉
First of all, you do NOT have to explain your excited-ness over fall! It’s 100% acceptable and I am right there with you. This is my absolute favorite time of the year, too. Ahh so excited!
And ahh that recipe looks so interesting! I would not have thought to ever make a muffin recipe like this but upon further inspection, it looks so tasty! Thanks for the share! 🙂
Oh my, these muffins look like the-fall-treat! I do love soft goats cheese big time and figs go always great with it. Hope I’ll find some good soft goat cheese soon so I can try them. Yum!
So excited about Fall finally being here.
These look absolutely amazing! Um, yum!
I would have never thought of that combo.
I think my favorite Fall flavour would have to be kabocha, pumpkin, and cinnamon (I couldn’t choose just one).
Cheater 😛 But I’m with ya… there are too many good flavours to choose just one.
Oooooo these look so yummy! I really like the pairing of honey, goat cheese, and fig. It’s such a great combo of flavors. I think apple might be my favorite fall flavor, but pumpkin, cinnamon, and a few others are still big winners.
Confession: up until a couple of years ago, I didn’t even know that apple was a fall flavour… I just thought it was one of those year long foods like bananas and oranges.
Magical is the perfect word. I can’t wait to try these!!!