Stollen Muffins

If you are a fan of stollen and also short of time like me, I highly recommend these Stollen Muffins. Instead of making stollen, which can take 3+ hours to make, these muffins provide a quicker result in around 1 hour, with just as much flavour. They've got everything your taste buds are craving; Christmas spices, sweet fruit and nutty marzipan. They're packed with dried cranberries, mixed peel, sultanas and marzipan. Plus flaked almonds on top too. They embody Christmas flavours and will be a guaranteed hit with all your family, friends or colleagues!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

• Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the baking spread, milk and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
• I used a baking spread for the muffins, but you can also use unsalted butter.
• I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can for this recipe, but caster sugar will also work.
• Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
• Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
• For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Stollen Muffins

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Prepare the dried fruit and marzipan by tossing it in flour. To make the muffins, mix together baking spread and light brown sugar. Add the eggs, milk, brandy and almond extract and whisk in. Then add self raising flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg. Gently mix or fold in.

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Carefully fold in the fruit and marzipan, and divide the mixture into paper cases. Sprinkle some flaked almonds over each muffin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and risen, leave to cool completely.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How long do the muffins last for and can they be frozen?

They will last for 3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze them by wrapping them well in cling film or puting them in an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Can you make the muffins with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 2 teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The muffins will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!

Can these cupcakes be made gluten free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additional baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 2 teaspoons additional baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can these cupcakes be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the muffins. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cupcakes if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

• Cupcake tin
• Mixing bowls
• Electric hand mixer
• Cooling rack
• Kitchen scales
• Mixed spice
• Brown cupcake cases

*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

If you like this, check out more of my Muffin recipes!

Or you might like my Christmas recipes!