These big, fluffy muffins are studded with sweet dried figs and stuffed with a lemon and honey goat cheese filling. They are the perfect combination of sweet and savory!

OK, so I guess it’s time to post at least one healthy recipe for all you New Year’s resolutioners. One of our favorite pastimes is eating, so we are definitely not dieters. Since we can’t stop eating, for the New Year we are at least going to attempt to eat slightly healthier. After all, it is possible to make healthier food taste delicious!

These delicious muffins are packed full of good-for-you stuff like whole wheat, figs and olive oil, which will help keep you full (and away from the leftover Christmas candy) all morning!

We had these muffins at Nick’s dad’s house over Thanksgiving and I’ve been dying to make them again. When I found a few big boxes of figs on holiday clearance at the commissary for $1.50 (score!!), it was the perfect time!

The muffins came out super yummy. Nick ate about half of them, which means they were a hit and didn’t taste TOO healthy. 😉 You really can’t go wrong with goat cheese and figs.

Fig and Goat Cheese Muffins

 

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These big, fluffy muffins are studded with sweet dried figs and stuffed with a lemon and honey goat cheese filling. They are the perfect combination of sweet and savory!

Author: Jess

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Muffins

Serves: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• ¾ cup crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
• 1¼ tsp vanilla extract, divided
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1¼ cups chopped dried figs
• 3 tablespoons turbinado or granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Thoroughly combine goat cheese, honey, lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Lightly beat eggs and egg white in a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and whisk until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in buttermilk and oil until smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the figs.
6. Spoon half the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
7. Add heaping teaspoons of the cheese filling to the center of each muffin, and cover with the remaining batter. (Make sure the cheese is fully covered. Also make sure you actually follow this advice. I did not, and, I ended up a few cheese explosions...)
8. Sprinkle the muffins with sugar.
9. Bake the muffins until the edges start to brown and the tops spring back when gently pressed, 13 to 15 minutes.
10. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

3.5.3226

In other news, last night we went to see Zero Dark Thirty, the movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It was really, really good. Rarely do Nick and I both like the same movies (he loves action and sci-fi stuff, while I hate fake, unrealistic [ie action and sci-fi] movies), so when we find one we both like a lot, it’s a big deal, it means it’s awesome, and I have to recommend it!

The movie follows al-Qaeda’s terrorism from September 11 through the Navy SEALs’ attack on bin Laden’s compound, as seen through the CIA’s point of view. I was expecting it to be a lot like Act of Valor (also a great movie), but it was a lot different. Less action and more behind the scenes intelligence stuff. Who knows how much of it is pure truth and how much of it is Hollywood, but it was super interesting nonetheless. I’d highly recommend seeing it! And this is coming from someone who isn’t a big movie fan in general…

Anyone else seen the movie yet? What did you think?

Hope y’all have a nice lazy football-filled Sunday. Go Pats!

Note: Photos updated 2-10-17. Original photo below.